Argentina Survives Biggest World Cup 2026 Shock After Extra Time Thriller as They Narrowly Beat Cape Verde in Round of 32

Lionel Messi and Argentina managed to secure a 3-2 win over Cape Verde on Friday to book their place in the World Cup Round of 16, but the reigning champions were pushed to the limit by the tournament newcomers.

Argentina’s winning goal came in the 111th minute when Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde defender Diney Borges and into the net for an own goal. Messi opened the scoring early in the match with his record-extending 20th World Cup goal, while Lisandro Martinez restored Argentina’s lead in the 103rd minute to make it 2-1. However, things changed dramatically during the dying moments of the game that no one expected.

Argentina Reached Round of 16

Cape Verde refused to back down, with Sidny Lopes Cabral and Deroy Duarte each finding the net to level the score, twice silencing a South Florida crowd that overwhelmingly supported Argentina.

Argentina will now face Egypt in the World Cup Round of 16 after Egypt defeated Australia in a penalty shootout earlier on Friday. The knockout clash is scheduled to take place in Atlanta on Tuesday.

Cape Verde’s remarkable World Cup debut turned into one of the tournament’s biggest surprise stories.

Few outside the small island nation off Africa’s west coast expected such a run, but inspired by the outstanding performances of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, Cape Verde became the smallest country ever to reach the knockout stage. Along the way, they earned impressive draws against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia.

Vozinha Emerges a Hero

Vozinha finished with 10 saves against Argentina, including five stops to deny Lionel Messi, helping keep Cape Verde in the match until the closing stages.

Messi added another spectacular goal to his World Cup legacy in the 29th minute. Timing his run perfectly, he slipped behind Cape Verde’s defense as Lisandro Martinez floated a pass into his path.

Messi took a quick touch before firing a powerful shot into the roof of the net beyond goalkeeper Vozinha to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.

The Argentina captain now has seven goals in this tournament, moving one ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot. He also extended his all-time World Cup scoring record, increasing his lead over Mbappé to two goals.

Messi has now found the net in a record eight consecutive World Cup matches, scoring 12 goals during that remarkable streak.