Lionel Messi added another remarkable chapter to his legendary career as he led Argentina to a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 in Miami Gardens, Florida. The 39-year-old captain opened the scoring in the 29th minute, becoming the first men’s player ever to reach 20 career World Cup goals.
The strike was also his seventh goal of the 2026 tournament, strengthening his lead in the race for the Golden Boot. Messi’s goal extended his record-breaking streak to eight consecutive World Cup matches with a goal, another achievement no men’s player has reached before.
Cape Verde, the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage with a population of roughly 525,000, proved they belonged on the biggest stage. The African debutants stunned Argentina by equalizing through Deroy Duarte in the 59th minute, sending the match into extra time.
Argentina regained the lead through Lisandro Martínez in the 92nd minute, but Cape Verde responded with an extraordinary strike from Sidny Lopes Cabral that curled into the top corner in the 103rd minute. The stadium erupted as the underdog refused to back down against the defending champions.
Despite taking a blow to the head during the match, Messi completed all 120 minutes and delivered the corner that led to Argentina’s winning goal. Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges for an own goal in the 111th minute, securing Argentina’s place in the Round of 16.
Vozinha, the 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper, made 10 saves including five against Messi, nearly pulling off the biggest upset in World Cup history. Argentina will now face Egypt in Atlanta on July 7.
Now competing in his sixth World Cup, Messi continues to rewrite football history as Argentina advances. The veteran showed why he remains the difference on the biggest stage, though the defending champions learned a valuable lesson about complacency. As Lionel Scaloni said afterward, “I hope you now realize that no opponent is easy”.
