Defending champions Argentina survived one of the greatest scares in FIFA World Cup history, edging tournament debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time to book a place in the Round of 16 following a breathtaking contest that pushed Lionel Scaloni’s side to the brink.
An extra-time own goal by Diney Borges finally separated the teams after Cape Verde twice fought back to stun the reigning world champions in one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament.
Argentina appeared to be cruising when captain Lionel Messi produced another moment of brilliance to open the scoring, but Cape Verde refused to be intimidated on football’s biggest stage.
Deroy Duarte levelled the contest just before the hour mark, curling his effort into the far corner to ignite belief among the tournament’s lowest-ranked nation and expose an unusually sluggish Argentina side.
The South Americans struggled to regain control as regular time ended with the scores locked, leaving the possibility of one of the biggest World Cup upsets ever seen.
Argentina thought they had finally restored order early in extra time when Lisandro Martínez rifled an effort into the top corner in the 92nd minute.
Yet Cape Verde produced another stunning response.
Sidny Lopes Cabral sent the Miami Stadium into disbelief with a sensational curling strike in the 103rd minute that drew his side level once again, delivering what many will regard as one of the finest goals of the 2026 World Cup.
With tension mounting inside the Argentine camp and belief growing among the Cape Verde players, penalties began to look increasingly likely.
However, Argentina found a decisive breakthrough when Cristian Romero’s header from a corner took a crucial deflection off Borges and crossed the line, sparing the defending champions from an historic elimination.
The hard-fought victory sends Argentina into the Round of 16, where Lionel Messi and company will face Egypt after the Pharaohs secured their first-ever World Cup knockout victory by defeating Australia on penalties.
While Argentina advance, much of the admiration belongs to Cape Verde.
Representing a nation of just over 600,000 people, the World Cup debutants exceeded every expectation, producing fearless performances throughout the tournament against Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and ultimately Argentina.
Although their remarkable journey ends in heartbreak, Cape Verde leave the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their reputation transformed, having come within touching distance of producing one of the greatest upsets in football history.
