Overview
- Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time on Friday to advance to the World Cup Round of 16.
- Lionel Messi opened the scoring and extended his career World Cup total to 20 goals while adding his seventh of the 2026 tournament.
- The match swung repeatedly: Messi scored in the 29th minute, Deroy Duarte equalised in the 59th, Lisandro Martínez put Argentina ahead early in extra time, Sidny Lopes Cabral levelled in the 103rd, and a 111th-minute deflection off Diney Borges was ruled an own goal that decided the tie.
- Cape Verde—the smallest nation to reach the knockouts in its World Cup debut—left Miami with widespread praise after a heroic display led by goalkeeper Vozinha, who was reported to have made around 10 saves that kept the game in doubt.
- Argentina now play Egypt in the last 16 after Egypt beat Australia on penalties, and the tie highlights tournament trends such as stronger penalties preparation and new crowd and logistics pressures in host cities as thousands of fans flooded South Florida before the match.