Argentina vs Cape Verde—World Cup: Live score and match stats

120+3' | Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde
FULL TIME IN EXTRA TIME! All over! The end of an absolute classic!
The referee blows the final whistle on a match that will be talked about for generations. Argentina's defense of the World Cup continues by the absolute skin of their teeth. Cape Verde's fairytale... finally... is over.

115' | Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde
yellow card!
Montiel picks up a yellow card after a clumsy challenge, giving Cape Verde a massive opportunity to launch the ball into the mixer! It's a free-kick right on the edge of the area—the tension is absolute dynamite here!

111' | Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde (Romero, 111)
GOAL! ARGENTINA LEAD AGAIN! Is that Cape Verde finally done?!
González does brilliant work on the flank to win a crucial corner. Messi steps up and whips an away-swinger into the danger zone, finding the head of Romero, and the ball deflects off his marker and into the back of the net!

105' | Argentina 2-2 Cape Verde
HALF TIME IN EXTRA TIME!
Cape Verde simply do not know when they are beaten. That Cabral strike could genuinely be the goal of the tournament for raw quality alone, not even accounting for the unbelievable drama surrounding it. Fifteen minutes left to see if this incredible story can find its fairytale ending, or if the world champions can steady the ship!

103' | Argentina 2-2 Cape Verde (L. Cabral, 103)
GOAL!
Do not scratch your eyes. This is really happening. Cape Verde—the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the knockouts—equalize against the champions AGAIN!

And what a sensational way to do it. L. Cabral cuts inside from the left flank and bends a spectacular, looping effort right into the top right corner to completely stun the footballing world. It looked like a crossing position, but he targeted the top corner and executed it to absolute perfection.

93' | Argentina 2-1 Cape Verde (L. Martínez, 93)
GOAL! ARGENTINA RE-TAKE THE LEAD!
Lautaro Martínez strikes early in extra time to break Cape Verde's resistance! The world champions find a crucial breakthrough when it matters most, putting themselves back in the driving seat!

90+8' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
FULL TIME
The referee blows the whistle to call an end to a breathless ninety minutes. Cape Verde have pushed the world champions all the way, and with nothing to separate them, we are officially heading into extra time!

91' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
The fourth official signals that there will be a hefty EIGHT minutes of added time to look forward to at the end of the second half. Plenty of time for a dramatic late winner!

85' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
SUB!
Argentina make another tactical move as De Paul makes way for Paredes in the midfield.

Scaloni might have to look to his bench again very shortly, as Molina is visibly struggling with a nasty bout of cramp.

74' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
The teams head to the sidelines for the second hydration break of the match. Honestly, after that breathless stretch of football, I think I need a breather just as much as the players do!

73' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
STUNNING SAVE FROM VOZINHA!
The Cape Verde goalkeeper pulls off an absolute wonder-stop, showcasing breathtaking reflexes to deny Argentina a certain goal and keep his side on level terms!

68' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde
YELLOW!
Pina receives the first booking of the match, picking up a yellow card after taking extreme measures to halt a break by dragging Messi straight to the turf.

59' | Argentina 1-1 Cape Verde (Deroy Duarte, 59)
GOAAAL!!!
Cape Verde have equalized! Deroy Duarte strikes just before the hour mark to stun the reigning champions, pulling the underdogs completely level and turning this match completely on its head!

54' | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde
MARTINEZ SAVE!
The Argentine shot-stopper comes to the rescue, demonstrating elite reflexes to deny Cape Verde and preserve his team's narrow one-goal advantage!

48' | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde
Cape Verde start the second half on the front foot, turning up the heat on the Argentine defense. A sharp pass is drilled into the penalty box from the right flank, but Da Costa just can't bring it under control.

45' | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde
HALF TIME!

Argentina head into the tunnel with a narrow lead at the break, entirely thanks to yet another irreplaceable moment of magic from Lionel Messi.

45' | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde
The fourth official raises the board to signal that there will be an additional FOUR minutes of stoppage time to play at the end of the first half.

29' | Argentina 1-0 Cape Verde (Messi, 29)
MESSI DOES IT AGAIN!

The deadlock is finally broken as Argentina's legendary captain steps up right when his team needs him, firing the reigning champions into the lead and sending the crowd into absolute raptures!

Lionel Messi continues to rewrite the history books, extending his spectacular record to 20 career FIFA World Cup goals. With that strike, he also stretches his incredible scoring streak to 8 consecutive World Cup matches.

25' | Argentina 0-0 Cape Verde

The teams head to the sidelines for the match's first hydration break. Argentina desperately need a tactical rethink from Scaloni after a sluggish, laboring start to the game.

On the other side, Cape Verde will be praying this brief intermission doesn't act as the catalyst that finally sparks the reigning world champions into life.

18' | Argentina 0-0 Cape Verde

SAVE!

Messi curls a dangerous free-kick right over the defensive wall, but Vozinha reads it beautifully, shifting across to make a comfortable save and keep the ball from finding the back of the net.

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has opted for a 4-1-2-3 formation. Emiliano Martínez starts in goal, shielded by a defensive line of Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, and Facundo Medina. Alexis Mac Allister operates as the lone pivot in midfield, positioned just behind Rodrigo De Paul and Enzo Fernández. The front three features Thiago Almada and Lautaro Martínez alongside Lionel Messi.

Cape Verde coach Rui Águas has set up his team in a 4-1-4-1 system. Vozinha starts between the posts, with Sidney Lopes Cabral, Diney, R. Lopes, and S. Moreira forming the back four. Kevin Pina shields the defense as the defensive pivot, while J. Cabral, D. Duarte, L. Duarte, and R. Mendes line up across the midfield. N. da Costa gets the nod as the solitary forward upfront.

World Champions Argentina face fairytale Cape Verde with round of 16 in sight

After scripting a fairytale run to reach the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde faces their ultimate test against reigning world champions and three-time titleholders Argentina. The Round of 32 clash is set to kick off on Saturday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, USA.

The fixture presents one of the starkest contrasts in football history. On one side stands global powerhouse Argentina, while on the other is Cape Verde, an island nation of just around 500,000 people making history by reaching the knockouts in their very first World Cup appearance.

Lionel Scaloni’s men enjoyed a flawless group stage campaign, cruising into the knockouts at the top of their group with a maximum of nine points. Argentina's dominant run included a 3-0 victory over Algeria, a 2-0 win against Austria, and a 3-1 triumph over Jordan.

Team talisman Lionel Messi has been in sensational form, scoring in all three group matches. Following a spectacular hat-trick against Algeria, Messi’s tournament tally stands at six goals, positioning him as the current top scorer of the World Cup.

Argentina enters the knockout stage with sky-high confidence, remaining unbeaten in their last ten knockout matches under Scaloni. Furthermore, the core of the 2022 World Cup-winning squad remains intact, providing the team with invaluable big-match experience.

While Cape Verde did not secure a win in the group stage, their resilient performances earned them a well-deserved second-place finish. They pulled off one of the tournament's biggest shocks by holding powerhouse Spain to a 0-0 draw, followed by a thrilling 2-2 tie against Uruguay and a gritty 0-0 stalemate with Saudi Arabia.

Coach Rui Águas has built a highly organized defensive unit, though their attack has been relatively quiet, with Hélio Varela and Kevin Pina netting one goal each so far. Experienced goalkeeper Vozinha caught everyone's attention with several crucial saves during the group stage. However, holding off a star-studded Argentine attack featuring Messi, Lautaro Martínez, and Julián Álvarez for a full 90 minutes will be an uphill task for the African nation.

The stakes are incredibly high for both teams, as the winner of this encounter will advance to the Round of 16 to face Egypt.