Lionel Messi is incomparable. It’s unfair to compare anyone with a freak of nature like him, and it’s equally unfair to the player being measured against him. Messi has nothing left to prove, yet he continues to remind the football world why there is no meaningful debate left. On the biggest stage, when the pressure is at its highest, he keeps delivering moments that only he seems capable of producing, and he did that yet again vs Cape Verde in the round of 32
That said, if you look beyond Messi’s brilliance, Argentina were far from convincing. Cape Verde pushed the reigning world champions to their absolute limit and came within touching distance of producing one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history. Argentina had to battle until the final seconds before securing a dramatic 3-2 victory after extra time.
Massive respect to Cape Verde for everything they achieved in this tournament. Their World Cup debut has been nothing short of extraordinary and deserves to be remembered for years to come. It is difficult to put into words what this team accomplished. A nation of just over 500,000 people stood toe-to-toe with the defending champions, refused to be intimidated and almost pulled off the unthinkable.
Every time Argentina looked ready to take control, Cape Verde responded with remarkable courage. They never stopped believing, never gave up chasing the game, and kept asking questions until the very end. Even in the closing stages, they continued to fight with incredible spirit, forcing Argentina to dig deep and defend desperately. The pressure on the world champions grew with every passing second, and Cape Verde ensured they had to earn every bit of their place in the quarter-finals.
Argentina have the privilege of having the greatest player of all time, but they now seem to be relying on him a little too heavily. Messi was outstanding once again, leading the charge with the opening goal and an assist for the winner, yet Argentina were not clinical enough to put away a fearless Cape Verde side determined to create history. Messi remained on the pitch for the full 120 minutes, constantly testing Vozinha, but the Cape Verde goalkeeper produced another remarkable display despite conceding three goals. He made eight saves and denied Messi on several occasions after being beaten early in the match.
Also Read – Argentina end Cape Verde’s dream World Cup run, but not before being pushed to the limit
It was another Player of the Match performance from Messi. Beyond scoring the opener, he played a decisive role in the other two goals, with both coming from his dangerous corner deliveries. While Messi once again rose to the occasion when Argentina needed him most, the performance also highlighted how much the defending champions continue to depend on their captain to make the difference in the biggest moments.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has now scored seven goals at this World Cup, and his strike against Cape Verde was another reminder that his greatest weapon has always been his footballing brain. When Lisandro Martínez first received the ball, Messi was in an offside position. But the moment Martínez delayed his pass and stepped back onside, Messi instantly read the situation. By the time Martinez floated a perfectly weighted ball over the top, Messi had already anticipated the move. Timing his run to perfection, he burst into space, brought the ball under control with a sublime first touch, and calmly slotted it past Vozinha to give Argentina the lead. It was a goal built as much on intelligence and anticipation as it was on flawless technique. He has now scored in eight consecutive matches at the World Cup, displaying his ability to deliver at the biggest stage quite consistently.
Cape Verde pushed Argentina to extreme limits
However, Cape Verde had no intention of sitting back and allowing Argentina to dictate the game. Deroy Duarte levelled the score in the 59th minute to keep his side firmly in the contest. Martínez, who had played a crucial role in Argentina’s opening goal, was at fault this time as Duarte’s shot nutmegged him on its way to goal. The effort left Emiliano Martínez unsighted, giving the goalkeeper little chance to react as the ball found the back of the net.
Messi and Argentina did everything they could to avoid extra time, but they were forced to bow to Cape Verde’s relentless fight. The world champions struck early in the additional period when Messi delivered another dangerous corner in the 92nd minute, and Lisandro Martínez rose to the occasion again, smashing home with a powerful finish that caught Vozinha off guard.
Just before the end of the first half of extra time came arguably the biggest moment of the match. Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a stunning strike from outside the box, curling a magnificent effort into the top corner to make it 2-2. The stadium erupted as Cape Verde once again refused to back down, keeping their dream alive in dramatic fashion.
In the closing stages, Messi was involved once more. His excellent corner found Cristian “Cuti” Romero, whose header took a decisive deflection off Diney and ended up in the net as an own goal. Argentina regained the lead, but there was still plenty of work to do. For the final 12 minutes, including stoppage time, they dropped into a deep defensive block as Cape Verde launched wave after wave of attacks in search of another equaliser. The debutants kept knocking on the door and tested Argentina’s resolve until the final whistle, but the reigning world champions held their nerve to secure a hard-fought place in the round of 16.
Cape Verde may have provided the blueprint for the rest of the tournament on how to trouble this Argentina side, which looked virtually unstoppable during the group stage. The world champions appeared far more vulnerable in their first knockout match, with the pressure clearly affecting them at different stages. Argentina’s biggest concern remains their heavy dependence on Messi to create and finish goals. While Lautaro Martínez and Julian Alvarez have worked tirelessly, contributing both defensively and offensively, they have yet to consistently deliver in their primary role as goal scorers. Against stronger opposition in the later rounds, that lack of cutting edge could prove costly. If Argentina continue to rely so heavily on Messi to produce the decisive moments, defending their World Cup title will become an increasingly difficult task.
