After a very hard 120-minute match, Argentina managed to beat Cape Verde 3-2 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, USA, in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Cape Verde was well-organized in defense and physically strong, making the match very hard for Messi and his teammates. Goalkeeper Vozinha's great saves made it even harder. Along with their counter-attacks and strong shots, Cape Verde came very close to causing a huge surprise and knocking Argentina out early.
Match Highlights and Goals
Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 29th minute, and the first half ended with a 1-0 lead. In the second half, Cape Verde managed to tie the game with a goal by Deroy Duarte in the 59th minute.
After that, Lisandro Martinez scored the leading goal for Argentina with an unstoppable shot in the 93rd minute of the first half of extra time. But Cape Verde player Sidney Cabral replied with a stronger shot in the 103rd minute to make the score 2-2.
In the second half of extra time, Messi stepped up to end this hard night for Argentina. He took a corner kick into the penalty area, and the ball hit Cape Verde player Diney Edilson and went into his own goal by mistake in the 111th minute.
With this result, Argentina goes through to the Round of 16 to face Egypt next Tuesday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the USA.
