Argentina faced a significant challenge before overcoming Cape Verde, with Lionel Messi scoring his 20th World Cup goal in a thrilling 3-2 victory after extra time, securing a place in the knockout stage.
Messi’s exquisite control and finish, marking his seventh goal in just four matches, initially put the defending champions in the lead. However, the Blue Sharks displayed relentless determination and refused to back down.
Deroy Duarte’s goal in the 60th minute required Argentina to exert more effort than they had anticipated in the sweltering Miami heat.
Lisandro Martínez managed to regain the lead for Argentina early in extra time, but Sidny Lopes Cabral’s spectacular strike quickly leveled the score once again.
The breakthrough for Argentina came from a corner kick, where Cristian Romero outjumped the defense to head Messi’s delivery into the net, albeit after taking a deflection off Diney Borges for an own goal.
As Argentina prepares to meet Egypt next Tuesday in Atlanta, coach Lionel Scaloni has some concerns despite the seemingly favorable matchup on his 100th match in charge.
Cape Verde had already demonstrated their potential by drawing against European champions Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia in Group H, advancing to the knockout rounds in their inaugural World Cup appearance.
The Blue Sharks’ coach, Bubista, had remarked that facing Messi and the world champions would be “the game of our lives,” which was evident in their spirited performance that kept Argentina on edge for over 120 minutes.
Returning to the city where he now plays for Inter Miami, Messi was greeted like a deity by the nearly 65,000 fans donning sky blue and white jerseys.
- World Cup 2026
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- Cape Verde
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