Argentina narrowly defeated Cape Verde 3-2 after a thrilling 120 minutes at the World Cup.

The match in Miami turned into one of the most dramatic knockout stage encounters in World Cup history. Argentina, as the defending champions, endured a tumultuous 120 minutes against a resilient and well-organized Cape Verde side. Despite superior possession, Lionel Scaloni's team could only decide the match thanks to individual brilliance and a bit of luck in the final minutes of extra time.

Messi broke the deadlock and quelled the resistance from West Africa.

Entering the match, Argentina fielded their strongest lineup with the goal of settling the score early. However, Cape Verde's deep defensive system proved incredibly difficult. For the first 25 minutes, Albiceleste's central attacking combinations were completely neutralized by the large number of players in blue shirts inside the penalty area.

The turning point came from a surprise attacking move in the 29th minute. Center-back Lisandro Martinez advanced into the opponent's half before delivering a precise long pass. Lionel Messi cleverly broke free behind center-back Diney, controlled the ball skillfully, and finished with a delicate shot over goalkeeper Vozinha from a tight angle, opening the scoring for Argentina.

After the break, Argentina showed signs of slowing down, allowing Cape Verde to push forward. In the 59th minute, a surprise occurred when Deroy Duarte received the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Despite the narrow angle, the midfielder unleashed a powerful low shot that went through Lisandro Martinez's legs, sending the ball into the far corner, leaving Emiliano Martinez completely helpless and leveling the score at 1-1.

Dramatic in the two extra time periods.

The Cape Verde defense, led by goalkeeper Vozinha, had a stellar performance, repeatedly denying shots from Messi and Enzo Fernandez in the final minutes of the second half. The match went into extra time, where the mettle of the Argentinian stars was once again put to the test.

In the 92nd minute, Lisandro Martinez restored Argentina's lead with a thunderous shot following a corner kick. However, the drama didn't end there. In the 103rd minute, Lopes Cabral produced a masterpiece from the left wing with a curling right-footed shot that nestled into the top corner, leveling the score at 2-2 for Cape Verde.

The fate of the match was decided in the 111th minute. From a tricky corner kick by Messi, center-back Diney, in an attempt to clear the ball, inadvertently scored an own goal. In the final minutes of the match, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had to work at full capacity to maintain the advantage against the relentless attacks of the West African players.

In-depth statistics and evaluation

Argentina dominated in terms of shots on goal (22 compared to 16), but goalkeeper Vozinha's save performance (8 saves) nearly took the match to a penalty shootout. Lisandro Martinez and Lionel Messi were the two outstanding players for the Albiceleste with scores of 9.3 and 9.5 respectively.

Argentina's hard-fought 3-2 victory propelled them into the Round of 16 to face Egypt. Despite progressing, defensive weaknesses and reliance on individual brilliance remain key issues that coach Scaloni needs to address if he wants to defend his World Cup title.