Messi breaks records as Argentina narrowly avoid historic Cape Verde upset

Defending champions Argentina survived one of the greatest scares in World Cup history, narrowly defeating debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in a breathtaking Round of 32 clash at Miami Stadium.

The African underdogs repeatedly defied the odds, equalizing twice against the global titans before a cruel deflection finally sealed their fate in an absolute tournament classic.

Argentina established their typical dominance early on, circulating the ball with high precision to clock an elite 90.55% passing rate against Cape Verde's disciplined defensive shape. The breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute via magic from Lionel Messi.

Under intense pressure, a surgical through ball found the captain, who expertly controlled it and fired a ruthless strike past Cape Verde's veteran goalkeeper, Vozinha. This historic strike marked Messi's 20th career World Cup goal, cementing a new all-time tournament record.

It also made him the first player in history to score in every single phase of the competition across a career, spanning all three group matches, the Round of 32, the Round of 16, the Quarterfinals, the Semifinals, and the Final. Furthermore, the goal extended his consecutive World Cup scoring streak to an unprecedented eight straight games.

Despite going a goal down, Cape Verde refused to break. The Blue Sharks, representing the smallest nation by population ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage, struck back brilliantly just before the hour mark when Deroy Duarte stunned the reigning champions with a clinical finish in the 59th minute.

Argentina threw everything forward to regain control, prompting a tense 68th-minute yellow card for Kevin Pina, who was booked for dragging Messi to the ground to halt a dangerous breakaway. Vozinha then pulled off a sequence of spectacular reflex saves to deny the world champions and force the match into extra time.

The drama intensified in the extra period. Just three minutes in, Lautaro Martínez broke the deadlock to put Argentina up 2-1 in the 93rd minute.

Yet, Cape Verde conjured up another miracle in the 103rd minute when Sidny Lopes Cabral cut inside from the left flank and unleashed a sensational, looping strike from what seemed like a crossing position, bending the ball perfectly into the top right corner past Emiliano Martínez to make it 2-2.

The definitive blow arrived in the 111th minute of play. Following an away-swinging corner whipped in by Messi, Cristian Romero got his head to the ball, which deflected off his marker and flew into the net to give Argentina a 3-2 lead, credited as a Romero goal with an element of good fortune.

Tensions flared in the dying moments as Gonzalo Montiel picked up a yellow card in the 115th minute for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the area, but a fatigued Argentina side successfully held on through the remaining minutes to secure their ticket to the Round of 16.