Messi leads Argentina past Cabo Verde in World Cup extra time

Argentina needed an own goal in the 111th minute to finally put away Cabo Verde, and the 3-2 escape in Miami Gardens exposed how thin the margin was for Lionel Scaloni’s side. At Miami Stadium, in a Round of 32 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Lionel Messi scored in the 29th minute, but Argentina could not control the game from there. Deroy Duarte equalized in the 59th minute, Lisandro Martínez restored the lead in the 92nd, and Sidny Lopes Cabral forced extra time again in the 103rd before Diney Borges turned a Messi corner into the decisive mistake.

The result pushed Argentina into the last 16, but it did so after a match that looked far tighter than the pregame mismatch suggested. Messi’s goal was his 20th in World Cup play, extending a record that has become one of the defining numbers of the tournament. Yet Cabo Verde, which FIFA had highlighted as the smallest country by population ever to reach the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup, kept landing blows against Argentina’s back line and structure.

Scaloni had warned before kickoff not to underestimate Cabo Verde, describing the opponent as fast and strong on quality, and the warning proved justified. Argentina entered with seven straight World Cup wins against African opposition, a run that stretched back to Cameroon’s victory over the Albiceleste in 1990, but that history did not protect them from repeated defensive lapses. Each time Argentina appeared set to take control, Cabo Verde found a way back into the contest.

ESPN described the match as Argentina’s toughest since the 2022 World Cup final against France, and the comparison fit the strain of the night. Argentina produced moments of championship calm, especially in the finish, but it also conceded twice and needed luck as much as precision to escape. The own goal from Diney Borges, rather than a clean decisive strike, ended a game that had already asked too many questions of a side expected to advance more comfortably. Stronger opponents will see the same openings.