There are not enough words to describe what this match was like. As it had been demonstrating so far, Cape Verde was not exactly an easy team to beat, and it showed against the Argentine National Team, taking them to extra time after drawing 1-1 in regulation time. Despite all the factors that affected their performance, such as the heat, humidity, and physical fatigue, fortunately for the national team, in this case, the jersey weighed more than the effort and they were able to struggle to win 3-2 to advance to the round of 16, where they will face Egypt.
The match would start with a Sky Blue team controlling the ball, but they would not manage to create danger mainly due to the great work of the African defensive block.
Only at 28, Scaloni's team would manage to break this trend thanks to the only one capable of doing so: the No. 10. Lisandro Martínez would make a long pass to the captain, Lionel Andrés Messi, who after controlling the ball excellently, would beat Vozinha to make it 1-0.
Although he would have a chance to extend the lead through Enzo Fernández at the end of the first half, his shot from the edge of the box would be saved by the Cape Verdean goalkeeper and the match would go to halftime without further changes to the score.
In the second half, the islanders would change their demeanor and try a bit more in attack. In one of their incursions forward, an unfortunate deflection from Enzo would fall to Deroy Duarte, who would test Dibu Martínez.
Less than five minutes later, Duarte would get his revenge. At 59, Ryan Mendes would receive the ball on the right wing and cross between Facundo Medina's legs for a No. 14 who would find the net to score the unexpected equalizer 1-1.
The Argentine response would come almost immediately: at 62, Lautaro Martínez would set up Messi brilliantly, who would lose the one-on-one with Vozinha.
Just before the second cooling break, the Rosario star would once again show his skills and on a free kick, he would almost surprise the Cape Verdean goalkeeper while he was setting up the wall, although he would respond in time to send it to the corner.
In the final moments of the match, Argentina would reach the opponent's area several times, including a promising cross from Nahuel Molina that Roberto Lopes would just clear, to the point that it almost ended in an own goal, a header from Alexis Mac Allister that would hit Lopes's hand, but would not be called as a penalty, and another free kick from Messi that once again Vozinha would save.
Despite all this, Cape Verde would hold on to send the match to extra time, which would quickly become eventful. At 92, Messi from the corner would cross into the area and, after a series of rebounds, the ball would fall to Licha Martínez, who would fire past Vozinha to make it 2-1.
With the pressure of the result against them, the Africans would once again seek equality, which they would achieve thanks to a true stunner from Sidny Lopes Cabral into the right corner of Dibu Martínez.
In response to the new parity, the National Team would focus for the third time on taking the lead, and would come close to doing so with a shot from Messi blocked by the African goalkeeper.
Despite this disappointment, in the second extra half, the hard-fought 3-2 would finally come: with their last energies, at 110 Messi from the corner would connect with Cristian Romero's head.
At the end, the Cape Verdeans would go all out for the heroic effort, coming close to doing so on two occasions: a free kick from Lopes Cabral at 115 and a chance from Gilson Benchimol in the small area at 118, both neutralized by Dibu to definitively close the match.
With this hard-fought victory, Argentina advanced to the round of 16, where they will face Egypt next Tuesday, July 7 at 1:00 PM (Argentina time) at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
