An enthralling World Cup round of 32 clash saw Cape Verde‘s dream run come to a close, as they fell to a 3-2 defeat in extra time to holders Argentina.
Lionel Messi put his side ahead in the first half before Deroy Duarte got Bubista’s men level and sent the game to an extra 30, as Vozinha made eight saves.
A Lisandro Martínez finish from a corner restored the Argentine advantage, before Sidny Lopes Cabral scored an all time great tournament goal with a curling effort from the edge of the area.
But Cristian Romero‘s header from a Messi corner deflected off Diney Borges to get the reigning champions over the line.
Here’s how it happened.
– Argentina respect Cape Verde in round of 32: Not here by chance
– Argentina vs. Cape Verde – everything you need to know
La Albiceleste are seen as among the favourites and are hoping to defend the title they won for the third time in 2022. The only side above them in the FIFA World Rankings, France, are on the other side of the bracket, meaning they’ll fancy their chances of reaching the final.
Messi leads the side at his sixth World Cup, and got off to a perfect start with three wins in a group containing Algeria, Austria and Jordan — scoring a hat-trick in the opener. He heads into Friday’s fixture with six goals to his name already in the tournament, level only with Kylian Mbappé, and as the all-time leading goalscorer in tournament history.
Cape Verde, however, have already proved that they are no pushovers, and are yet to be defeated in the competition thus far. They held off Spain to a goalless draw as their goalkeeper Vozinha became an overnight sensation, before scoring for the first time in a 2-2 battle with Uruguay. They then ended their group stage with another 0-0 stalemate against Saudi Arabia, with their neutral goal difference sufficient to send them through as a third-placed team.
They were the only remaining debutants in the competition, the others being Curaçao, Jordan and Uzbekistan — making them the only team from the four to get out of their group.
Argentina will now take on Egypt in the round of 16.
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