Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde: Messi Saves the Champions

The champions flirted with the biggest upset in World Cup history before beating debutants Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time. Messi reaches 20 goals and rewrites the record books.

The Argentina - Cape Verde tie at the 2026 World Cup looked like a formality and turned into one of the tournament's great scares. The reigning champions came within a whisker of the biggest upset in World Cup history before beating debutants Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time on Friday, July 3, in the Round of 32. Lionel Messi was decisive once again: a goal, the delivery that led to the winner and, above all, two records that push him even higher into the history books. If you are looking for details on Argentina in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16, or on Messi's World Cup goal record, here is the full story.

What looked like a stroll became a night of agony in Miami. Cape Verde, an archipelago of half a million people making their World Cup debut, stood toe to toe with the champions until the final second and came a step away from making history.

How the match unfolded: the script of a scare

Messi broke the deadlock after the first hydration break, dinking the ball over onrushing goalkeeper Vozinha after a pinpoint pass over the top from Lisandro Martinez. The game looked to be settling into a rhythm, but Cape Verde had not read the script. Deroy Duarte squeezed his effort into the far corner just before the hour mark to level things up.

In extra time, Lisandro Martinez put Argentina back in front with a strike into the top corner. The reply was a thunderbolt: Sidny Lopes Cabral curled in what many rate as the goal of the tournament to make it 2-2 in the 103rd minute and silence the stadium. With the shadow of a penalty shootout looming, a set piece decided it: from a Messi delivery, the Cape Verde defence turned the ball into their own net for the decisive 3-2 in the 111th minute.

Messi rewrites the record books

With his goal, Messi reached 20 goals in World Cup finals, extending his record as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. He now has 7 at this edition and leads the scoring charts. He also fired in nine shots in this match, a number that captures just how central he was to everything Argentina created.

Eight straight World Cups on the scoresheet

But the most special record of the night was another one: Messi became the first player in history to score in EIGHT consecutive World Cup games. No other footballer, not Pele, not Klose, not Ronaldo, had ever strung together a run like it at football's biggest event.

Cape Verde: the fairytale of the tournament

Beyond Messi, the night had another star: Cape Verde. The Atlantic archipelago, with a population of barely half a million, were making their World Cup debut and came within a step of knocking out the champions. Their run —reaching the Round of 32 and dragging Argentina to extra time— is already one of the great stories of the 2026 World Cup.

• Cape Verde population: around 500,000 people.
• First-ever appearance at a World Cup.
• They forced extra time against the reigning champions.
• Lopes Cabral's goal (103rd min) is a candidate for goal of the tournament.

What comes next: Argentina - Egypt in the Round of 16

The reward for surviving the scare is a ticket to the Round of 16. Argentina face Egypt on Tuesday, July 7 at 12 p.m. ET at Atlanta Stadium. The champions arrive battered but alive, with a Messi in dazzling form who keeps piling up records.

What this match made clear is that in the knockout rounds there are no small opponents. The champions came away with the lesson learned: any lapse is punished, and an unknown side can push even the best to the brink. Egypt, with an organised defence and quick transitions, will have reason to believe they can spring a surprise of their own. For Argentina, the key will again be Messi, but also the defensive solidity that sprang leaks against Cape Verde.

The knockouts are where everything is decided in a single match, and where upsets multiply. If you want to live the ties alongside your friends, create a World Cup prediction league and compete to guess who advances to the quarterfinals. It is free, takes a minute to set up, and turns every round into a small final between mates. No pressure at all: it is simply a fun way to follow the tournament together.