Moises Caicedo's Ecuador saw their Copa America campaign come to an end on Sunday morning as they were beaten 3-0 by Argentina.
Lionel Messi setup two and fired in a fabulous free kick as Argentina cruised into the semi-finals, with Caicedo starting the evening on the bench, before coming on for the final 20 minutes.
The 19-year-old started all four of Ecuador’s group stage matches, but an injury in their last match before the knockout phase against Brazil meant it was touch and go whether he would be involved against Argentina.
⏰ 69’ ¡Tercer cambio en #LaTri!
— La Tri (@LaTri) July 4, 2021
➡️ Moisés Caicedo
⬅️ Alan Franco
🤜🤛 #ARG 1 🆚 0 #ECU
🏆 CONMEBOL #CopaAmérica
🗓 Cuartos de Final
🏟 Estadio Olímpico Pedro Ludovico Teixeira - Goiânia#VamosEcuador 🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/bvSMYav26s
A defeat in their opening match to Colombia was followed up by three draws, to Venezuela, Peru and Brazil.
Gustavo Alfaro’s team’s attentions now turn to their World Cup qualifiers in September, as they currently sit third in the South American group, which would be enough to see them secure a place in Qatar next year.