Cape Verde scripted history when they met Argentina in the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Friday. The smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup knock-out stage, they made life difficult for the defending champions, pushing them to extra-time.
Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, won the match 3-2 but the captain thinks there are many mistakes that the team now must work on. The all-time World Cup leading goalscorer said that they had expected a difficult much but the African nation outdid themselves and deserve praise.
The Round of 32 World Cup clash between Argentina and Cape Verde was one of the best matches of the tournament, delivering a thrilling contest and a nail-biting 3-2 finish at the Miami Stadium.
Despite being the clear favourites, debutants Cape Verde challenged them at every step, equalising twice to reignite hopes of extending a dream World Cup run. Lionel Messi, who registered his record-extending 20th goal of his World Cup career took home the Player of the Match award.
Reflecting on the neck-and-neck contest, the Argentine legend said, "Today, we put in a huge effort, as always, playing well and playing badly...But I think the important thing now is to rest, think about what's coming next and try to take positives from today's game...and we also need to correct the bad mistakes, which were plenty today."
Messi recognised the fact that despite being ranked 67th and playing at their first ever World Cup, the island nation has shown immense character. "We knew it was going to be a very tough match; this team hadn't lost to Spain and Uruguay for a reason. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal. We thought that from then on, we would start to find our game and be more relaxed, but it was the complete opposite", he said.
Argentina looked completely in control of the game in the first half and Lionel Messi put them ahead with a stunning finish in the 29th minute, scoring his 7th of the tournament. After the interval, Cape Verde tried to set the rhythm of the match which resulted in a 59th minute equaliser by Deroy Duarte. The goal stunned Argentine fans and their country was unexpectedly forced to play extra-time.
In the additional 30 minutes, Argentina wasted little time as Lisandro Martinez scored a beautiful goal in the 92nd minute. However, Cape Verde showed tremendous spirit and frustrated the South American with another equaliser as Sidny Lopes Cabral scored the goal of the tournament in the 103rd minute. Argentina were in shock and the African nation were very close to pulling off a shock upset.
After losing their lead for the second time, Argentina's Cristian Romero headed the ball at the back of the net which deflected off Cape Verde's Diney Borges' hand for a own goal. This time, Argentina finally had their winning goal.
Despite the loss, Cape Verde had a fairytale run at the World Cup, one that will be remembered in history. Victors Argentina will now face Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.