Argentina's path to the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup did not go as smoothly as imagined. Facing debutants Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, on Saturday (4/7/2026), the Albiceleste were forced to work extra hard before finally securing a dramatic 3-2 victory in extra time.
The match initially went according to plan for Argentina when Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute. However, the steel mentality shown by Cape Verde made the match full of tension. The squad coached by the debutant manager managed to force a 1-1 draw in normal time thanks to a goal by Laros Duarte in the 64th minute.
Entering extra time, the intensity of the game increased drastically. Lisandro Martinez temporarily put Argentina back in front, but it was quickly answered by a spectacular shot from Sidny Cabral. Cape Verde's hopes of taking the match to a penalty shootout were finally dashed in the 111th minute, when Cristian Romero's header hit Diney Borges and went into his own net.
This narrow victory takes Argentina through to the round of 16 to face Egypt, who also previously managed to qualify after a hard-fought match. For Cape Verde, despite having to go home early, their performance throughout the tournament is considered an impressive historical achievement for the nation's football.
Until the final whistle blew, Emiliano Martinez's resilience in goal for Argentina was the final decisive factor, especially when he denied a crucial free kick from Sidny Cabral in the dying minutes. This result serves as a reminder for Argentina to quickly fix their performance before facing tougher tests in the next phase.
