Argentina survived a major scare to edge past World Cup debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 encounter on Friday (local time), with Lionel Messi's side pushed to the brink by the island nation in a memorable David-versus-Goliath contest.
Despite taking the lead three separate times, the defending champions were repeatedly pegged back by a fearless Cape Verde outfit that refused to yield. The Blue Sharks found equalisers on two occasions and came within touching distance of forcing a penalty shoot-out before an own goal ultimately settled the contest.
Messi handed Argentina the advantage in the opening half, but Cape Verde responded through Deroy Duarte, who levelled the scores around the hour mark. With neither side able to find a winner in regulation time, the match headed into an additional 30 minutes.
Argentina regained the lead early in extra time when Lisandro Martinez, who had earlier provided the assist for Messi's opener, found the net. Cape Verde, however, hit back almost instantly through Sidny Lopes Cabral, whose thunderous strike into the top corner made it 2-2 and immediately emerged as a leading contender for the tournament's best goal.
Messi, who had been at the heart of Argentina's attacking play throughout the match, appeared visibly stunned as Cape Verde produced another spectacular equaliser.
The decisive moment came from a corner kick. Cristian Romero met Messi's delivery with a header, and the ball deflected off Diney Borges before ending up in the net for an own goal that restored Argentina's lead for good.
Argentina will now take on Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday, though the performance is likely to leave head coach Lionel Scaloni with several questions despite progressing to the next round. Managing his 100th match in charge of the national team, Scaloni could only breathe a sigh of relief after Borges' unfortunate touch proved decisive.
Cape Verde nearly snatched another equaliser in the closing moments of extra time. Emiliano Martinez, who had little to do in the opening half before making a crucial stop from Duarte in the second period, produced another important save by tipping a powerful effort from Cabral over the bar during a frantic late assault.
The African nation had already impressed during the group stage, drawing with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H to qualify for the knockout rounds in its maiden FIFA World Cup appearance. Ahead of the match, head coach Bubista had described the encounter with Messi's Argentina as "the game of our lives," and his players responded with a spirited display that stretched the reigning world champions for more than 120 minutes.
Playing in the country where he now represents Inter Miami, Messi received a hero's welcome from nearly 65,000 spectators dressed in Argentina's colours. His first-half goal also extended his record of scoring in eight consecutive World Cup matches, giving him a temporary two-goal advantage over France's Kylian Mbappe in the race to become the competition's all-time leading goalscorer.
Also Read | Abhishek Sharma Becomes Fastest Batter to Reach 100 T20I Sixes, Breaks Record
