World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi praises Cape Verde after Argentina survive dramatic extra-time scare

Lionel Messi has paid tribute to Cape Verde following Argentina’s thrilling 3-2 extra-time victory in the World Cup Round of 32, insisting the African newcomers were always going to provide a stern challenge for the defending champions.

Argentina needed a dramatic winner in the 111th minute, ultimately credited as an own goal after Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Diney Borges, to book their place in the Round of 16 after Cape Verde twice fought back to level the contest.

Reflecting on the encounter, Messi admitted that Argentina never underestimated the Blue Sharks.

“Honestly, we already knew this was going to be a very difficult match. It wasn’t a coincidence that this team didn’t lose to Spain or Uruguay.”

The Cape Verdeans arrived in Miami with growing confidence after earning historic draws against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia during their maiden World Cup campaign, becoming the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout rounds.

Messi believed his opening goal should have settled Argentina, but instead it had the opposite effect.

“Scoring the first goal was the hardest part, and we thought it would help us control the game and play with more calm, but the exact opposite happened.”

The Argentine captain struck in the 29th minute with a trademark finish after a sublime first touch, registering his 20th career World Cup goal and extending his all-time tournament scoring record.

However, Cape Verde refused to surrender. Deroy Duarte equalised in the second half before Sidny Lopes Cabral produced another stunning leveller in extra time, pushing the reigning champions to the brink of one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.

Messi acknowledged that Argentina struggled to impose their usual intensity.

“We lost possession at times, dropped a little too deep, and couldn’t press them the way we wanted. They took advantage of their strengths and found the equalizer. We knew this was always going to be a complicated game.”

The 39-year-old also stressed that the increasingly narrow margins between nations are what make this tournament so compelling.

“These are knockout matches, nobody gives you anything for free. Some people might underestimate certain teams because of their names, but we knew this was never going to be an easy match.”

“That’s what makes this World Cup so special. Everything is incredibly close, and every single game is extremely difficult.”

Despite not producing their best football, Messi praised his teammates’ resilience.

“As always, we gave everything we had, regardless of whether we played well or didn’t produce our best football.”

Messi himself continues to enjoy a remarkable tournament. He has now scored seven goals in four matches, leading the Golden Boot race ahead of France captain Kylian Mbappe, while extending his record to eight consecutive World Cup games with a goal.

Argentina topped Group J with a perfect nine-point haul, defeating Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1 before surviving their Cape Verde scare. Messi contributed in every match, including a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria, underlining his enduring influence on Lionel Scaloni’s side.

The Albiceleste will now face Egypt in Atlanta in a blockbuster Round of 16 encounter after the Pharaohs defeated Australia on penalties to claim their first-ever World Cup knockout victory.

For Messi, though, the immediate priority remains recovery.

“Now the most important thing is to recover, focus on the next match, and take the positives from today’s game.”