Argentina vs Cape Verde, FIFA World Cup 2026: Defending champion Argentina narrowly escaped a major upset. In the Round of 32 of the FIFA World Cup 2026, it entered the Round of 16 by defeating the Cape Verde team 3-2 in a thrilling match that lasted till extra time. Now Argentina will face Egypt in the round of 16 match. But to defeat a small team like Cape Verde, Argentina had to work very hard and they won due to an own goal in the 111th minute of the match.
Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the match
There was a tough competition between the two teams right from the beginning of the match. Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the match. In the 29th minute of the match, Messi took control of an excellent long pass from Lisandro Martínez with a brilliant first touch and pushed the ball towards the near-post, putting Argentina ahead 1-0. This was Messi’s 7th goal in the tournament and his record-breaking 20th goal of his entire World Cup career.
However, the Cape Verde team, playing the World Cup for the first time, was not going to accept defeat easily on this big stage. Cape Verde counterattacked in the 59th minute of the match, when Deroy Duarte scored a brilliant goal to level the score at 1–1. After this no more goals could be scored and the match dragged into extra time.
Excitement crossed limits in extra time
The thrill of extra time held the fans’ breath. Argentina once again took the lead and made the score 2-1, but Cape Verde’s Sidney Lopez Cabral scored one of the most beautiful goals of this tournament to bring his team to a 2-2 draw. Their 40-year-old experienced goalkeeper Vojinya also played a big role in taking Cape Verde to this point, who played excellently throughout the match. Earlier, even in the group stage, this small team had made it to the knockouts by holding teams like Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to a draw.
Ultimately, the match was decided in the 111th minute. Under heavy pressure from Argentinian defender Cristian Romero, Cape Verde’s Diné Borges scored an own goal. Romero’s header attempt gave Argentina a 3-2 lead, which eventually led to victory. With this victory, Argentina has avoided a major upset and secured its ticket to the next round of the tournament.
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