It took 120 minutes of grinding football, a Lionel Messi finish, a Lisandro Martínez strike and a cruel own goal for Argentina to finally escape.
Cape Verde brought the defending world champions to the edge, turning what many expected to be a controlled knockout tie into a frantic 3-2 thriller. Argentina had the ball for long stretches, but possession rarely felt safe. Cape Verde crowded the central lanes, dropped bodies behind the ball and forced every Argentine attack to move through traffic.
Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute after Argentina centre back Lisandro Martínez dropped a superb pass over the Cape Verde defence. The captain cushioned it with his left foot, waited for Vozinha to commit and lifted a vintage finish beyond the goalkeeper. That moment looked ready to kill the contest early.
Instead, Cape Verde grew into the match. They kept their block compact, trusted their runners and slowly turned Argentina’s control into tension. Their equaliser came before the hour mark, when Ryan Mendes found space on the right and picked out Deroy Duarte inside the area. Duarte controlled with his left foot, shifted his body and drove a right footed finish past Emiliano Martínez.
Argentina, expecting to manage the final stretch, suddenly found themselves in a dogfight.
Argentina Under Pressure
The match moved into extra time at 1-1, and Argentina again found the lead through Lisandro Martínez.
Already the provider for Messi’s opener, the centre back stepped forward in the 92nd minute and lashed Argentina back in front. It was an extraordinary attacking contribution from a defender on a night when Argentina needed solutions from everywhere.
Messi remained Argentina’s clearest source of control. Even when the game became stretched, his touch slowed the panic around him. His first half goal carried the finish of a player who has spent his career making tight spaces look playable. Later, his corner would help decide the match.
Still, Argentina never settled. Each time the champions appeared ready to close the door, Cape Verde found another push. That was the real warning for Lionel Scaloni’s side. Argentina led twice and still could not fully secure the match.
Cape Verde’s second response carried the weight of history. Sidny Lopes Cabral curled a superb shot into the top corner to make it 2-2. Emiliano Martínez had no chance. Argentina’s players froze for a beat. Cape Verde’s bench erupted. Penalties suddenly felt close, and with them, one of the biggest shocks the tournament had ever seen.
Scaloni later gave Cape Verde the respect their performance deserved, saying, “Today they showed they are a great team.” It was not routine praise. Cape Verde had gone head to head with the world champions and kept coming back. Their performance was not a lucky scramble. They defended with grit, broke with purpose and showed enough quality on the ball to make Argentina’s back line uncomfortable all night.
Cape Verde Heartbreak
The final twist was brutal.
With penalties looming, Messi swung in a corner. Cristian Romero rose to meet it, and the ball deflected off Diney Borges into the Cape Verde net. After fighting back twice, Cape Verde were beaten by the cruellest kind of winner.
Even then, they nearly found another answer. Cabral forced Emiliano Martínez into a sharp late save from a free kick, one last reminder that Cape Verde had not come merely to admire Argentina. They came to compete.
Argentina advanced, but not cleanly. Their defence crumbled twice after taking the lead. Their attack leaned heavily on Messi’s calm and Lisandro Martínez’s unexpected influence in the final third. Against Cape Verde, that was just enough. Against stronger opponents, the same lapses could be punished.
Cape Verde’s run ended in tears, but the performance will last. On their first World Cup knockout night, they pushed the defending champions to the limit and left with something more lasting than sympathy. They left with respect.
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FAQs
Did Argentina beat Cape Verde at the World Cup?
Yes. Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time and reached the Round of 16.
Who scored for Argentina against Cape Verde?
Lionel Messi and Lisandro Martínez scored for Argentina. A late Diney Borges own goal decided the match.
How did Cape Verde force extra time against Argentina?
Deroy Duarte equalised in the second half after Ryan Mendes created space on the right and found him inside the box.
Why was Cape Verde praised after losing to Argentina?
Cape Verde fought back twice, pushed the defending champions to the limit and nearly forced penalties.
What was the final score of Argentina vs Cape Verde?
Argentina won 3-2 after extra time in a tense World Cup knockout match.
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