Argentina Overcome Cape Verde in extra-time thriller to secure Last-16 berth

Defending champions Argentina had their hands full against an enthusiastic Cape Verde team as they clinched a hard-fought 3-2 victory in extra time to book their place in the last 16 stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Lionel Messi put the South American nation ahead in the 29th minute with an assist from Lautaro Martínez, putting Argentina ahead by just a goal as they led 1-0 going into halftime.

Cape Verde, however, was not cowed by the defending world champions, scoring in the 59th minute for an equalizer after an assist by R. Mendes to D. Duarte.

This ensured that the African underdogs made life difficult for Argentina as they held them to a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes of play, thus the need for extra time.

Argentine captain Lautaro Martínez thought he could break down the Cape Verdeans’ resistance with a goal in the 92nd minute after a pass from Alexis Mac Allister.

Cape Verde yet again provided an exceptional reaction as S. L. Cabral scored in the 103rd minute after some splendid playmaking by J. S. Monteiro to give us another twist in the thrilling match.

Argentina finally managed to secure a breakthrough in the 111th minute as D. Borges accidentally scored an own goal when under pressure, giving Lionel Scaloni’s side a 3-2 lead.

There was a red card issued to Gonzalo Montiel in the 115th minute, leaving Argentina to finish the game with just 10 men, but it did not prove enough as the defending champions managed to secure their passage to the round of 16.

While the loss meant a lot for Cape Verde, the team still earned a huge amount of respect due to the exceptional display as the Africans came extremely close to creating one of the biggest shocks at the World Cup, whereas Argentina survived a tough test against a very resilient opponent.