Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde Islands (aet)
Argentina are into the World Cup Round of 16 after edging Cape Verde Islands 3-2 in extra time last night in Miami, but Lionel Scaloni knows his side were seconds from humiliation. Lionel Messi put them in charge with a routine finish in the 29th minute, teed up by Lisandro Martínez stepping out from the back, yet the tone of the night was Cape Verde refusing to bow.
Rui Águas kept his 4-1-4-1 narrow and aggressive, inviting Argentina’s 4-4-2 to funnel through the middle. It worked. Ryan Mendes kept finding pockets on the counter, and when he released Deroy Duarte in the 59th minute the underdogs were level. Scaloni reacted immediately, bringing on Nicolás González and Julián Álvarez in the 63rd minute for Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martínez to restore the width the world champions had lost.
Vozinha stood between Argentina and panic, eight saves in total, while midfielder Kevin Lenini (registered as Kevin Pina on the squad list) collected a yellow card in the 68th minute to underline how hard Cape Verde were biting in midfield. The Albiceleste still thought they had settled it in the 93rd minute, Alexis Mac Allister drifting left before sliding the ball for Lisandro Martínez to finish. Scaloni expected game management from there.
Águas had other plans. He made a double change in the 67th minute, added more legs at the 80th, then introduced forward Gilson Benchimol (listed on the match log as Gilson Tavares) and Yannick Semedo in the 100th minute to tilt extra time. The payoff came almost instantly as Sidny Lopes Cabral equalised in the 103rd minute, Cape Verde daring to pile numbers onto Argentina’s right flank just as Nahuel Molina, withdrawn a minute later for Gonzalo Montiel, tired.
The decisive moment was cruel. In the 111th minute Messi’s cut-back ricocheted off Diney Borges and past Vozinha for the own goal that finally gave Argentina daylight they scarcely deserved. Montiel still found trouble, booked for a foul in the 115th minute as Cape Verde kept swinging until the final whistle.
Lisandro Martínez was Argentina’s anchor at both ends: 117 completed passes from 120 attempts, the assist for Messi, the 93rd-minute goal, and a defensive line that stayed just intact enough under relentless stress. Messi’s six shots on target forced Cape Verde backwards, yet it was the tweaks around him, especially González pressing from the left and Leandro Paredes calming things after coming on in the 84th minute, that saved the holders from the exit door. For Cape Verde, Águas can point to a unit that produced 16 shots on 36 percent possession, trusted its structure, and left Miami believing it belongs at this level.
Key numbers
- Shots: Argentina 22, Cape Verde Islands 16
- On target: Argentina 10, Cape Verde Islands 5
- Possession: Argentina 64 percent, Cape Verde Islands 36 percent
- Expected goals: Argentina 2.16, Cape Verde Islands 0.45
- Saves: Vozinha 8, Emiliano Martínez 3
- Corners: eight each
Scaloni now turns to recovery, data review, and scouting for the Round of 16. Training will focus on resetting that right side after Molina’s 104th-minute substitution exposed the flank. Cape Verde fly home with pride but also proof of concept as Águas builds for 2030 qualifying. For more on the knockout picture, keep an eye on Brazil vs Norway: Quarter-final slot on the line.
