Argentina was pushed to extra time by Cape Verde but ultimately secured a 3-2 victory, featuring a goal from Lionel Messi, in the World Cup round of 32 held in Miami on Friday.
The game was decided in the closing minutes of extra time when Diney Borges inadvertently scored an own goal while contesting a header from Cristian Romero during a set piece taken by Messi after 111 minutes.
Messi initially gave Argentina the lead, but it was quickly equalized by Deroy Duarte. In extra time, Lisandro Martínez scored again for Argentina, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to level the score once more. However, the own goal by Borges ultimately sealed Cape Verde’s fate.
This result spared Argentina from experiencing what would have been the largest upset in World Cup knockout history, as they faced the No. 67-ranked Cape Verde while being the top-ranked team at No. 1. The defending champions are set to take on Egypt, who triumphed over Australia in a penalty shootout earlier in the day, in the round of 16 in Atlanta on Tuesday.
“This team has shown many times how it competes,” Messi stated in Spanish. “We fought till the end.”
Messi, with seven goals in this World Cup, leads the race for the Golden Boot, one goal ahead of Kylian Mbappé, and has scored 12 times in his last eight World Cup matches.
He opened the scoring in the 29th minute by executing a stunning control of a Martinez pass with the outside of his left boot and flicking the ball past the advancing goalkeeper, Vozinha. This goal marked a new milestone, making Messi the first player to score in eight consecutive World Cup appearances and extending his record to 20 World Cup goals across 30 matches, the most by any player, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 26 games played.
Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper competing in Portugal’s second division, had moments of brilliance, denying Messi’s right-footed shot, a deflected free kick, and another attempt in extra time.
The equalizer for Cape Verde came just after the hour mark when Duarte’s powerful shot found the net past Emiliano Martínez.
Despite strenuous efforts from Argentina, they found themselves in extra time, particularly due to Vozinha’s stellar save from Messi’s free kick.
“We represent our country’s dignity. We drew twice against the world champions and took them to extra time,” said Cape Verde coach Bubista. “More than anything, we are proud of our players and how they upheld our identity on the world stage.”
After quickly taking the lead in extra time with Martínez’s shot finding the back of the net from a Messi corner, Cape Verde responded magnificently when Cabral curled a beautiful shot into the far corner from the left side after cutting inside at the 103-minute mark.
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As the specter of a penalty shootout loomed, Argentina managed to clinch a vital third goal when Borges’s misplay led to the own goal. Even with this turn of events, Emiliano Martínez made two crucial saves to thwart Cape Verde’s attempts at another equalizer.
“I must commend our opponents; they displayed tremendous skill,” commented Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. “Today, [Cape Verde] truly demonstrated they are a formidable team.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.