Messi leads Argentina to round of 16 after dramatic match against Cape Verde

2026-07-04T00:45:36.963Z

Argentina qualified for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup with a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in an exciting match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The decisive goal came from an own goal by Denai Borges in the 111th minute of extra time,

Argentina qualified for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup after defeating Cape Verde 3-2 in an exciting match that witnessed dramatic twists, held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami as part of the round of 32 competitions.

Argentina's opening and Cape Verde's equalizer

Argentina dominated the course of the match from the start, and this superiority was expressed early when Lionel Messi scored the first goal in the 29th minute with an assist from Lisandro Martinez. However, Cape Verde did not surrender and responded with an equalizer in the 59th minute through Deroi Duarte, who benefited from an assist by Ryan Mendes, restoring balance to the field and igniting the match atmosphere.

Substitutions and goals in extra time

Both teams made a number of substitutions in the second half; Argentina brought on Lautaro Martinez for Julian Alvarez in the 63rd minute, and Thiago Almada for Nicolas Gonzalez in the 64th minute. In the 68th minute, Kevin Lieneni received a yellow card for Cape Verde. As the end of regular time approached, Lisandro Martinez put Argentina ahead again with his goal in the 92nd minute assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.

But Cape Verde refused to surrender and achieved a second equalizer in the 103rd minute of extra time, when Sidney Lopez Cabral scored with a pass from Yank Semedo, bringing the match back to square one. In the 111th minute, Argentina decided the match with an own goal scored by Denai Borges in favor of the Argentine side, which was the decisive goal that closed the door on any Cape Verde comeback. In the 115th minute, Gonzalo Montiel received a yellow card at the end of the match.

A look at the statistics

Argentina dominated possession with 64% compared to 36% for Cape Verde.

Argentina had 22 shots compared to 13 for Cape Verde, with 10 on target versus 5.

Argentina's passing accuracy was 92% from 843 passes, while Cape Verde completed 466 passes with 86% accuracy.

Expected goals indicators showed a clear Argentine superiority at 2.15 compared to 0.36 for Cape Verde.

Cape Verde's goalkeeper made 8 saves compared to 3 for the Argentine goalkeeper.

The match ended with one yellow card for each team and no red cards.

Messi Man of the Match

Lionel Messi was awarded the title of best player in the match with a rating of 9.5, after opening the scoring with his goal in the 29th minute and controlling the Argentine play throughout the match, leading the defending champions to the next round of the World Cup.

Follow the coverage of the 2026 World Cup moment by moment — results, match schedule, and group standings on Sabq.