Argentina were on the cusp of humiliation with the World Cup qualification looking highly uncertain. They were at 6th position in the CONMEBOL world cup qualifying campaign before the final round of matches and with only four automatic slots available, the chances looked extremely bleak. Argentina travelled to Ecuador for the final match with their qualification hopes also dependent on favourable results elsewhere.
After Renato Ibarra put Ecuador ahead within the first minute of the game, the Argentine supporters' worst nightmares seemed to come true. But one man had other plans, who carried the weight of the whole nation on his shoulders.
