World Cup 2026:Argentina Survive Cape Verde Scare To Reach Round of 16
3 min read
By Sedara Philip
Cape Verde’s remarkable debut FIFA World Cup campaign came to a heartbreaking end on Friday night after the African nation suffered a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to defending champions Argentina in a thrilling Round of 32 encounter.
In one of the most captivating matches of the tournament, the Blue Sharks pushed the reigning world champions to their limits, producing another fearless display that earned admiration from football fans around the globe.
Although Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to victory, Cape Verde once again demonstrated the resilience, courage and quality that defined their historic World Cup campaign. Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha delivered yet another outstanding performance, making a string of crucial saves to frustrate the South American giants and keep his side firmly in the contest.
Argentina eventually broke the deadlock in the 29th minute through their captain.
A delightful lofted pass from Lisandro Martínez split the Cape Verde defence, allowing Lionel Messi to race through on goal before clinically firing his finish into the roof of the net to give the Albiceleste a deserved 1-0 lead.
Despite falling behind, Cape Verde refused to retreat and continued to compete with confidence.
Vozinha had already shown his brilliance earlier in the contest, producing an excellent save in the 18th minute to keep out one of Messi’s dangerous free-kicks. Moments before halftime, the experienced goalkeeper came to his country’s rescue again, tipping Enzo Fernández’s powerful effort away from the bottom corner with a superb reflex stop.
Cape Verde emerged after the break with renewed belief and gradually began to trouble the Argentine defence.
After forcing Emiliano Martínez into a smart save with a powerful strike from outside the box, Deroy Duarte eventually found the breakthrough in the 59th minute. Ryan Mendes picked out his teammate with a perfectly weighted square pass, and Duarte made no mistake, smashing a first-time finish into the bottom-left corner to bring Cape Verde level at 1-1.
The equaliser set up a tense finale as Argentina piled on the pressure in search of a winner.
Messi remained at the centre of the action but repeatedly found himself denied by the inspired Vozinha. The Cape Verde goalkeeper made brilliant saves to stop the Argentine captain in the 63rd minute, from another dangerous free-kick in the 72nd minute, and again deep into stoppage time to force the match into extra time.
Argentina regained the advantage almost immediately after the restart.
In the 92nd minute, Lisandro Martínez reacted quickest inside the penalty area following a corner kick and a clever knockdown from Alexis Mac Allister, stabbing the ball home from close range to restore the world champions’ lead.
Yet Cape Verde refused to let their dream end quietly.
The African side stunned Argentina once again in the 103rd minute when Sidny Lopes Cabral collected a pass outside the penalty area before unleashing a magnificent strike into the top-right corner, sending the Cape Verde supporters into wild celebration as the scores became 2-2.
The drama continued throughout extra time.
Messi nearly restored Argentina’s lead in the 105th minute after breaking through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but Vozinha once again produced an excellent save to keep Cape Verde alive.
The decisive moment finally arrived in the 111th minute.
Messi’s pinpoint corner found Cristian Romero inside the penalty area, and the defender rose highest to power a header into the right side of the net, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory and sending Argentina into the Round of 16.
Although their historic World Cup journey came to an end, Cape Verde leave the tournament with immense pride and admiration. On their debut appearance, they scored their first-ever FIFA World Cup goal, earned memorable draws against former world champions Spain and Uruguay, and pushed defending champions Argentina to extra time in one of the competition’s most unforgettable knockout matches.
While Argentina continue their title defence, Cape Verde depart the global stage with their reputation significantly enhanced, having proven they can compete with the very best on football’s biggest stage.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
