Messi inspires Argentina past Cape Verde into World Cup last sixteen
- Final score: Argentina 3, Cape Verde 2 (after extra time); winning goal an own-goal in 111th minute.
- Messi scored in 29th minute (his 20th World Cup goal) and has seven goals in this tournament.
- Lisandro Martinez scored in 103rd minute; Cape Verde scorers: Sidny Lopes Cabral, Deroy Duarte.
- Vozinha made 10 saves; Cape Verde became smallest nation to reach World Cup last 16.
Miami Gardens buzzed with disbelief and admiration on Friday as Lionel Messi and Argentina edged Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time to reach the World Cup Round of 16.
Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a trademark run and finish that felt both inevitable and electrifying. Lisandro Martinez’s chipped pass found him in space; Messi took a touch and hammered the ball into the roof of the net, extending his all-time World Cup tally to 20. The stadium erupted, expecting a comfortable procession for Argentina — but Cape Verde had other plans.
The islanders answered through Sidny Lopes Cabral, pulling the match level and deflating the pro-Argentina crowd. Cape Verde’s game was built on belief, intense defending and the kind of goalkeeper performance that becomes legend. Vozinha, at 40, stood like a wall, making save after save; he finished with 10 stops, five of them denying attempts from Messi. His presence gave Cape Verde a calmness that belied the country’s small size and recent debut on football’s largest stage.
Extra time brought more drama. Lisandro Martinez gave Argentina the lead in the 103rd minute with a scrappy, determined finish that looked destined to settle the tie. The relief was short-lived. Deroy Duarte struck back for Cape Verde, and suddenly the narrative flipped again: a tiny nation pushing the world champions to the wire. Fans who had come expecting a routine victory found themselves holding their breath.
The deciding moment arrived in the 111th minute when Cristian Romero’s header took a cruel deflection off Diney Borges and spun into the net — officially recorded as an own goal. The ball’s late, accidental touch felt fitting for a match where margins were infinitesimal and fate a spectator in its own right. Argentina had done enough to survive; Cape Verde left the pitch having captured hearts.
Beyond the scoreboard, the match was rich in human details. Cape Verde’s run to the knockout rounds included stunning draws with Spain and Uruguay and a gritty point against Saudi Arabia, making them the smallest country ever to reach the last 16. Their players celebrated each small victory as if it were a revolution for a nation of islanders watching from afar. For Argentina, the win came with the weight of expectation and the exhaustion of being hunted by every opponent.
Messi’s night was another entry in a career that keeps rewriting records. His goal was his 20th at World Cups and his seventh in this tournament, moving him ahead in the Golden Boot race and extending an extraordinary scoring streak.
Argentina now face Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday, a fresh challenge after a night that combined drama, grit and a reminder that football’s biggest shocks often come from its smallest states. Cape Verde will return home with pride, memories of a country suddenly on the world’s lips, and a goalkeeper whose saves will be replayed for years.