MIAMI — Defending champions Argentina survived a major scare from World Cup debutants Cape Verde, edging a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory on Friday to book their place in the last 16 after an own goal deep into extra time finally separated the sides.
Lionel Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 29th minute with his seventh goal of the tournament, but Cape Verde refused to yield. Deroy Duarte equalised in the second half before the match moved into extra time in front of a crowd of 64,478 at Miami Stadium.
Argentina regained the advantage through Lisandro Martinez early in extra time, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to produce a spectacular long-range strike in the 103rd minute to level the contest again and leave the reigning champions on the brink of a penalty shootout.
The decisive moment came in the 111th minute when Messi delivered a corner that Cristian Romero headed toward goal. The ball deflected off Cape Verde defender Diney Borges and into the net for an own goal that sent Argentina through to the knockout stage.
Cape Verde, appearing at their first World Cup and the only tournament debutant to reach the knockout rounds, produced another resilient display after previously frustrating several higher-ranked opponents during the group stage. Ranked 67th entering the tournament, they twice recovered from deficits and pushed one of the competition's favourites to the limit before their historic campaign ended with their first defeat.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni praised his team's determination after a physically demanding contest but acknowledged the difficulty posed by their opponents.
"There are no easy matches," Scaloni said after his 100th game in charge. He said his players had been exhausted by the end of the match and rejected suggestions that Argentina had underestimated Cape Verde, adding that his side had shown character to advance.
Cape Verde coach Bubista described his team's performance as a historic achievement despite the elimination, praising his players for competing with the world champions throughout the 120 minutes.
The result keeps Argentina's title defence alive but highlighted the increasingly competitive nature of the expanded tournament, with the South Americans forced into extra time by one of the smallest nations ever to compete at the World Cup.
Argentina will next face Egypt in the last 16 in Atlanta as they continue their bid to retain the title.
