Valencia was shown a red card just 20 minutes into Ecuador’s tournament opener against Venezuela for a dangerously high tackle, resulting in his team playing with a numerical disadvantage for most of the match, which they ended up losing 2-1. During Thursday’s game, Valencia received a yellow card after fouling Mac Allister, further adding to his team’s woes.
The most painful moment came in the 62nd minute when Valencia attempted a penalty kick. Despite the goalkeeper moving in the opposite direction, Valencia’s shot lacked power and accuracy, hitting the left post before bouncing wide.
Valencia’s penalty attempt appeared awkward, suggesting that he might have been overly focused on anticipating the goalkeeper’s dive, ultimately leading to a lack of conviction in his shot, and wasting Ecuador’s best opportunity to equalize against Argentina.
GO FURTHER
Argentina prevails in penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals, with Messi missing from the spot
