Messi leads Argentina past Cabo Verde, Egypt, into semifinal test against Switzerland

Lionel Messi kept Argentina moving through the margins, scoring in a 3-2 extra-time win over Cabo Verde in Miami and again in a 3-2 comeback against Egypt in Atlanta, where the defending champions erased a 2-0 deficit. The run carried Argentina into a semifinal test against Switzerland and underlined a team identity built on recovery as much as talent.

Argentina’s route past Cabo Verde was tight from the start. The sides met for the first time in a World Cup match on July 3 in Miami, and Messi scored before Diney Borges turned the decisive ball into his own net in the 111th minute. Argentina survived a heroic Cabo Verde challenge and escaped 3-2 after extra time, a result that kept Lionel Scaloni’s squad on course in the knockout rounds.

Four days later in Atlanta, Argentina faced a far sterner warning shot. Egypt led 2-0 before Cristian Romero began the turnaround, Messi followed, and Enzo Fernández completed the rally with a late winner in the 90th minute plus two. FIFA named Messi player of the match, and the performance lifted him to seven goals in the tournament, extending a World Cup scoring record and moving him into the Bota de Oro conversation.

The stakes carried extra weight because Argentina arrived as the reigning champion from Qatar 2022. That tournament ran from November 20 to December 18, 2022, with 32 teams and 64 matches, and Argentina sealed the title on December 18 by beating France on penalties after a 3-3 draw. Every knockout round since has been measured against that standard, giving each comeback a sharper edge and every mistake greater consequence.

Against Cabo Verde and Egypt, the pattern was the same: Argentina did not dominate every phase, but it stayed alive long enough for Messi and the late finishers to tilt the game. That balance is now the core question heading into Kansas City, where Switzerland waits to test whether Argentina remains a side held together by Messi’s decisive touches or one hardened by repeated recoveries under pressure.