Nobody told Cape Verde they should have been happy to be here, and it was almost bad news for Argentina.
The squads that couldn’t be further apart in world rankings (Argentina is No. 1 and Cape Verde is No. 67) clashed in what resulted in one of the best thrillers in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, because this was David against Goliath.
Ask anyone to point Cape Verde on the map, and not a single soul will find it if their life depended on it.
And that’s what makes Cape Verde such a special squad in this tournament. The island nation with approximately 530,000 residents (in Africa, because I know you were wondering where exactly on this planet), managed to field a team that gave the defending World Cup champions a major, major scare.
Argentina miraculously managed to survive Cape Verde, 3-2, in extra time to move on to the Round of 16, after Lionel Messi and his Argentine counterparts realized that Cape Verde had no quit in it.
Had Cape Verde advanced, just about everyone would have applauded the effort. After all, this is the team that managed a draw with powerhouse Spain to get here. The fact that Cape Verde forced extra time shocked everyone at the moment. But after the game ended, it all made sense.
Argentina entered the match as a heavy favorite, and Messi put them ahead with a brilliant goal in the 29th minute. It was a beauty: he snapped the ball’s momentum with his foot inside the box and proceeded to unleash a blistering shot with the same foot that found the back of the net.
Not to be outdone, Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte netted the equalizer in the 59th minute, and just like that, Argentines held their breath.
The equalizer forced extra time, but Lisandro Martinez wasted no time giving Argentina the lead with an unreal finish — a shot to the back post for a 2-1 lead in the 92nd minute.
Cape Verde came so, so close
If this was as far as Cape Verde advanced in its first World Cup, no shame. But Sidny Lopes Cabral had other plans.
Cabral took a pass near the top of the box, juked his defender with deft handling, and unleashed a shot that bent like one David Beckham for the equalizer in the 103rd minute. And Cabral’s celebration is what the World Cup is all about: he fought off his teammates and raced to the stands to hug his loved ones.
The feeling of jubilation, however, didn’t last long.
Messi’s corner kick found Cristian Romero for a header in the 111th minute, sending Argentina into the Round of 16.
Argentina will face Egypt next.
What a game.
