Argentina has reached the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after surviving the scare of debutant, Cape Verde, with a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The defending champions took on the African island nation at the Round of 32 match played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States, on Friday night.
With a squad of top players led by eight times Ballon D’Or winner, Lionel Messi, the contest was largely tipped to be an easy ride for the Argentines against a debutant nation.
This however proved not to be the case as the Cape Verdeans held the world champions by the jugular in an edgy contest.
Argentina, as expected, started the match on a brighter note, establishing early dominance with Lionel Messi giving them an early lead in the 29th minute.
They were however stunned by an unnerved and much composed Cape Verde who failed to sit back and absorb the pressure from the high-power Argentines.
The Blue Sharks also controlled the tempo of the game with organised plays and coordinated defence.
While their impressive gameplay failed to yield result on the scoresheet, the Cape Verdeans returned to for the second with same energy and composure.
This paid off for the debutant as they scored a leveller courtesy Deroy Duarte’s 59th minute goal.
The equaliser stunned the Argentine fans in the stadium, putting them at the edge of their seats.
Impressive saves by Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, Josima Vozinha, including the blockade of a one-on-one attempt by Messi, kept the game of levels term at the 90 minutes full time.
While the Cape Verdean fan celebrated their team’s resilience the world champions, the Argentines were left in shock and tension as the game advanced to extra time.
Argentina retained their lead barely two minutes into the first 15 minutes of extra time as Lisandro Martinez fired home a corner kick to relieve the tension.
The Cape Verdeans however refused to cower as they returned the favour, bringing the game back to level’s term with a powerful strike Sidny Lopes Cabral.
The second-half substitute fired the ball into the top corner of the net from the edge of the box in 103rd in what had been considered a potential goal of the tournament.
Fear of a shocking eviction was evident in the face of the Argentines as the game advanced to the last 15 minutes with the scoresheet standing at 2-2.
Providence however smiled at the North American nation to avert a penalty shootout as a corner kick taken by Messi in the 11th minute was bundled home by Cape Verde’s Diney Borges to restore Argentina’s lead.
The Blue Sharks however remained a threat to Argentina’s bid for the last 16 qualification and needed a last minute save by Emilano Martinez to secure the spot.
Argentina’s win will see them face another African test against Egypt who earlier defeated Australia on penalties.
For the Cape Verdeans, the defeat ended their fairytale run at their first World Cup outing.