The Argentine national team beat Cape Verde 3-2 in a hard-fought match that went to extra time, securing their place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi, Lisandro Martínez, and Cristian Romero scored for Argentina, while Laros Duarte and Jovane Cabral netted for Cape Verde.
During the first half, Argentina dominated possession, but consistently lacked a change of pace in the final third to break down Cape Verde’s defensive block.
The first real chance for Scaloni’s team came in the 14th minute when Messi fired a shot across goal that went just wide of Vozinha’s left post. Only five minutes later, Messi tried again with a free kick, but the Cape Verdean goalkeeper made a comfortable save.
Only after the hydration break, with 29 minutes already elapsed, was Messi able to open the scoring, receiving a perfect long pass from defender Lisandro Martínez inside the box and finishing with great class. This was his twentieth goal in a World Cup and his seventh in this edition.
In the second half, Cape Verde came out much more determined and began to threaten the Argentine penalty area on several occasions. Nine minutes into the second half, they equalized through Duarte, who finished with a well-placed, low shot across goal.
In the following minutes, the Argentine team began to increase the pressure in the final third and had several clear chances, but Vozinha made some heroic saves to keep his team in the game and force extra time.
In extra time, the Argentine team regained the lead after just two minutes, thanks to a stunning strike into the top corner by Martínez.
However, just when it seemed that Scaloni’s men had overcome their opponent, Cabral appeared to inject suspense back into the match, scoring the equalizer with an incredible finish into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Finally, “Cuti” Romero scored the decisive 3-2 goal six minutes into the second period of extra time, rising high to meet the ball with a powerful, angled header.
Thanks to this victory, the Argentine national team secured qualification for the round of 16, where they will face Egypt, who earlier defeated Australia on penalties.
