Ecuador sack coach Félix Sánchez after Copa América defeat to Argentina

Ecuador has fired their head coach, Félix Sánchez, after losing in the Copa América quarter-finals to Argentina on Thursday, according to a statement from the country's football federation (FEF).

Ecuador made it to the quarterfinals for the third time in the last four tournaments, but were eliminated by the current champions in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.

Lionel Messi didn't score Argentina's first penalty, but luckily, goalkeeper Emi Martínez saved Ecuador's first two attempts. Lisandro Martínez scored for Argentina just before half-time, but Kevin Rodríguez equalized with a fantastic header in injury time. Before that, Ecuador's captain Enner Valencia hit the post from a penalty after a handball by Rodrigo De Paul.

Ecuador struggled during the group stage of the tournament. They lost 2-1 to Venezuela after initially leading 1-0 in the opening game. Without a reversed penalty call in their final match against Mexico, they may have been eliminated early from the tournament.

Sánchez, who led Qatar to their first-ever Asian Cup championship in 2019, had agreed to a four-year deal in March of the previous year.

The FEF expressed gratitude to Felix and his coaching team for their hard work and professionalism. They also wished him success in his future pursuits.

The coach, who is 48 years old, stated that despite being eliminated from Copa América, he is excited for the World Cup qualifiers in September. Ecuador is currently in fifth place in the standings. He mentioned that he was not ready to discuss his future at this time.

"We were able to move on from the initial stage to the elimination rounds. I praised the players even though we didn't make it further," Sánchez informed the media. "I believe they deserve recognition, that's my perspective, but I anticipate that in the next iteration of this competition, we will arrive with a team that has more experience."

"These are inexperienced players. The outcomes may have been unjust, but I am confident that we must have faith in this team of players."

Argentina's next match in the semi-final on 9 July will be against either Canada or Venezuela.