It was billed as a mismatch: the world's top-ranked team against a nation of half a million playing in its first World Cup. Instead, Argentina and Cape Verde produced one of the tournament's most gripping nights, with the favorites needing extra time and a slice of luck to come through 3-2 in Miami and reach the last 16, ESPN reported.
Messi leads, Cape Verde refuse to yield
Argentina, ranked No. 1 in the world, took the lead through Lionel Messi in the 29th minute, and for a while the expected order seemed to be asserting itself. But Cape Verde, ranked far lower and appearing on this stage for the very first time, had not read the script. Deroy Duarte levelled the match in the 59th minute, hauling the underdogs back into a contest few expected them to trouble.
The drama only intensified. In extra time Lisandro Martínez restored Argentina's lead, but Cape Verde again refused to fold: Sidny Lopes Cabral equalized in the 103rd minute to make it 2-2 and set nerves jangling among the favorites. The islanders' goalkeeper, Vozinha, was outstanding throughout, producing a string of saves — including one to deny a Messi free kick — that kept his side in the fight.
Decided by the cruelest margin
In the end, the difference was the unluckiest kind of goal. An own goal in the 111th minute, credited to Cape Verde's Diney Borges, edged Argentina back in front at 3-2, and this time the lead held. It was a harsh way for a heroic effort to end — undone not by being outplayed but by a deflection into their own net.
For Cape Verde, defeat could not diminish the achievement. Having become the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup knockout stage, they went toe-to-toe with the tournament favorites and came within minutes of forcing penalties. They leave the World Cup with their reputation vastly enhanced and a performance their supporters will remember for a generation.
More history for Messi
For Argentina, the night added another line to Messi's remarkable record. His goal made him the first player ever to score in eight consecutive World Cup appearances, and it took his tally at this tournament to seven, moving him a goal clear at the top of the race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the leading scorer, as France 24 reported.
That Argentina needed such individual brilliance, and a large helping of resilience, to see off a debutant says as much about Cape Verde's quality as any wobble on Argentina's part. The favorites survived; they were not comfortable.
What it means
Argentina march on into the round of 16, where a sterner examination awaits, but they will know they were flattered by the margin of victory. Escaping a genuine scare is often part of a deep tournament run, and champions frequently point back to exactly these kinds of nights.
For the neutral, the match was a reminder of why the World Cup's expanded field can produce magic: a tiny nation, unburdened by expectation, taking one of the giants to the wire. Cape Verde lost, but they won admirers everywhere — and Argentina were given a fright they will not soon forget.
