Defending champions Argentina survived a major scare to edge Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in a thrilling FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash on Friday, securing their place in the last 16.
Lionel Messi gave Argentina an early advantage with a superb strike in the 29th minute, but Cape Verde stunned the reigning champions when Deroy Duarte equalised in the 59th minute to force extra time.
Argentina regained the lead through Lisandro Martinez in the 92nd minute, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to level the contest again with a brilliant goal in the 103rd minute, keeping Cape Verde’s hopes of a famous upset alive.
The decisive moment came in the 111th minute when Cape Verde defender Diney Borges turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Cristian Romero, handing Argentina a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni praised his team’s resilience after the hard-fought win and acknowledged Cape Verde’s impressive performance.
“It was a very tough match. This team never gives up,” Scaloni said. “We also have to congratulate our opponents. They proved they are a great team.”
The victory keeps Argentina’s hopes alive of becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend a FIFA World Cup title.
Argentina will now face Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday in Atlanta, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Despite being ranked 65 places below Argentina in the FIFA rankings, Cape Verde pushed the holders to their limits and came close to producing one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Reflecting on the historic performance, Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes said the team wanted to prove that smaller nations can compete with football’s biggest powers.
“What we achieved was to show what is possible for small nations. With big hearts, you can believe and dream that anything is possible,” he said.
Also read: Egypt named among top 10 best performing FIFA World Cup 2026 teams
