Lionel Messi and the reigning champions just avoided the biggest ever knockout shock in world cup after a amazing performance by Cape Verde and their keeper, Vozinha.
Cape Verde, the smallest nation to ever make it to the knockout stage of the tournament, entered ranked 67th in the world rankings. They took the footballing world by surprise with an exceptional run. For context, they held Spain to a goalless draw, followed by holding Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to crucial draws to qualify for the Round of 32. They were on the verge of stunning the champions in an extra time late drama.
Argentina started off great, dominating possession and creating chances. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute to put his team ahead. Things were under control for them until Cape Verde finally struck back, captain Ryan Mendes assisted Deroy Duarte, who comfortably beat Emi Martinez to equalize against Lionel Scaloni's side.
Cape Verde held the champions until the final whistle to force extra time. Argentina quickly regained the lead when Lisandro Martínez scored from a corner kick, only for Cape Verde to answer with a goal of the tournament worthy strike by Sidny Lopes Cabral, who curled the ball into the top corner from outside the box. It looked like Cape Verde would refuse to give up and push the match to penalties. However, Argentina won another set piece, and Cristian Romero met Messi’s cross. The ball deflected off Diney Borges for an own goal in the 111th minute, finally securing the win for Argentina after being pushed to the limits by a resilient defense.
Vozinha, the 40-year-old keeper praised for his heroics throughout the tournament, was a massive reason Cape Verde lasted until extra time. He denied Messi in a one-on-one situation and later made a brilliant save on a quick free kick from the Argentine captain, who had tried to catch him off guard while he was still setting up his wall.
With the victory, Messi becomes the only player in history to score 20 goals in the tournament's history, leading his side to the Round of 16 where they will face Mohamed Salah's Egypt.