MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Argentina survived an almighty scare to book their place in the World Cup round of 16 with a dramatic 3-2 win over Cape Verde after extra time Friday.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero headed in the game winner via a deflection off Diney Borges from Lionel Messi's corner in the 111th minute, but only after Cape Verde had threatened to cause perhaps the greatest shock in World Cup history.
The African debutants twice found equalizers -- one in extra time -- to push the reigning world champions to the brink of an unthinkable upset.
Messi got his seventh of the tournament with a wonderfully taken goal in the first half only for Deroy Duarte to cancel it out in the second half and stun the thousands of Argentina fans inside Miami Stadium into silence.
With the score 1-1 after 90 minutes, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez appeared to end Cape Verde's resistance early in extra time to make it 2-1.
But that was before fullback Sidny Cabral produced a moment of magic and possibly the goal of the World Cup so far when he cut in off the left and curled his effort into the top corner.
Argentina went ahead again when Borges inadvertently deflected Romero's header into his own net. But there was still time for one more dramatic twist when Emiliano Martínez produced a stunning save to stop Cabral's free kick and send Argentina through. -- Rob Dawson
No. 1 Argentina face all-time scare from No. 67 Cape Verde
There are no easy games in the World Cup knockout rounds, not even one between the No. 1 FIFA-ranked team and its No. 67-ranked opponent.
Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni warned his players beforehand about not taking Cape Verde for granted, calling the opponent a strong defensive side that deserved to be at the World Cup knockout round.
He was right, and Cape Verde proved to be a just opponent for the reigning World Cup champions.
After finding the equalizer twice, Cape Verde found themselves extremely well-organized within their own half to hold Argentina off as much as possible. Goalkeeper Vozinha had a particularly great performance, making eight saves to send the match into extra time.
Argentina eventually found the winning goal late, but not before having to sweat it out nervously for a while. Cape Verde constantly made the reigning champions work for the lead, equalizing twice before Argentina finally found the winning goal.
Messi stayed on the pitch for the entire game, a testament to the challenge Cape Verde presented.
Argentina expected a difficult match against Cape Verde, but no one, not even Scaloni, could have predicted the match that unfolded on Friday night in Miami Gardens.
If Argentina had lost, it would have been the largest upset in a World Cup knockout game since at least 1994 by FIFA ranking. Now, the record stands as No. 70-ranked Russia eliminating No. 10-ranked Spain on penalties in the round of 16 in 2018. -- Lizzy Becherano
Cape Verde go home having won hearts and respect at the World Cup
What a performance. No team has earned more credit in defeat than this Cape Verde side. It was so close to causing the biggest result this historic competition has ever seen.
It's a tournament the whole of Cape Verde will remember forever. The draw with Spain and a first World Cup goal against Uruguay and Cabral's strike here are moments the country will never forget. For some people, this team has put Cape Verde on the map.
The challenge now is to make World Cup appearances a regular thing. Qualifying from Africa is challenging (just ask Nigeria and Cameroon), but Cape Verde can use what they've done this summer to grow as a football nation.
The plan will be to build on their first World Cup and make sure they qualify for the next one in 2030. They go home with their heads held high. -- Dawson
As World Cup round of 16 looms, Argentina look vulnerable
If Egypt were watching this, they'll head to Atlanta full of belief.
There were warning signs early for Argentina. Romero and Rodrigo De Paul both got away with misplaced passes early on, both of which could have turned into Cape Verde chances.
Cabral's goal was so good that there was very little anyone could do to stop it. He couldn't have placed it any better into the top corner.
But it's the first Cape Verde goal that's a bigger worry. It was so simple.
Two passes cut Argentina open and Enzo Fernández was ball watching when it reached the feet of Duarte. Messi has caused a lot of excitement with his goals and performances, but there are issues for Lionel Scaloni to solve in the next few days.
If Argentina play like this against Egypt, they'll be going home early. -- Dawson
Lionel Messi continues to be heartbeat for Argentina
Messi continues to be the driving force for success within the Argentina national team. The Albiceleste captain scored the opening goal of the round-of-32 match against Cape Verde, breaking the 0-0 draw in the 29th minute.
He has now scored in eight consecutive World Cup matches and extended his lead as the highest goal scorer in men's World Cup history to 20. The 39-year-old Messi is tied with Kylian Mbappé in the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race.
Messi dominated the opponent throughout the field with one goal, nine total shots and the assist to the game-winning goal.
Many wondered what version of Messi would show up at this tournament. Would manager Lionel Scaloni manage his minutes on the field? Would he be able to keep up with the pace of Argentina on the international stage? It's safe to say he has officially shut down any possible doubt of what Messi can do for this team by scoring and playing the entire 120 minutes of the game against Cape Verde.
And his teammates know it too.
"There are no words for Messi ... if someone thought that this team was better without Leo, today it became clear that he is the most important," Alexis Mac Allister said on June 17.
Messi's statement from Argentina's World Cup opener continues to ring true through the start of the knockout round. -- Becherano
Lisandro Martínez steps up for Argentina
Lisandro Martínez endured a frustrating season at Manchester United because of injuries, but against Cape Verde he showed exactly what he's capable of.
It was his raking pass midway through the first half that dropped over the head of Borges and onto Messi's boot. The touch and finish from Argentina's No.10 was sublime, but the goal owed just as much to Martínez's ball forward.
It's what he's best at. He can sometimes get dragged out of position defensively or dive into challenges when he doesn't need to. But he gets picked by United and Argentina for what he does on the ball.
He can spot passes through the lines into midfield and always has the capacity to find a killer ball in behind an opposition defense. Messi will take the plaudits for another wonderful goal, but it was Martínez who found a way through.
The touch and finish for his goal early in extra time wasn't bad either. -- Dawson
A homecoming for Argentina in Miami
Friday night's game felt like a true homecoming for the Argentina national team. The players entered to see a sea of sky blue and white dominating the stands of Miami Stadium, with different styles of the Argentina flag hung on the railings of every level. Some depicted the faces of Messi and Maradona, while others read versions of "Vamos Argentina."
In the stands, fans chanted and cheered louder than any other Argentina crowd this World Cup. Even when Argentina played in Dallas with a larger capacity, the crowd continued to be more intense in Miami.
Once Messi's goal reached the back of the net, the stadium erupted into chaos. The press box trembled from the movement in the stands above. Even when Cape Verde equalized the game twice, fans kept on cheering. They never stopped. Once the game ended, no one moved. The fans continued to sing from the stands as long as the players were on the field.
Argentina are no strangers to this stadium, winning the 2024 Copa America against Colombia on this field before coming back to play pre-World Cup friendlies. It was immediately clear that this felt like home-field advantage for Argentina. -- Becherano