00:07Argentina were given a huge scare before ending Cape Verde's fairytale run as Lionel Messi netted
00:12his 20th World Cup goal in a 3-2 win after extra time to reach the last 16. Messi's sublime
00:19control
00:20and finish for his seventh goal at this tournament in four games put the defending champions in
00:24command but the Blue Sharks doggedly refused to go away DeRoy Duarte's strike on the hour mark
00:31forced Argentina to expand more energy than they would have wanted in the sapping Miami heat
00:37Lissandro Martinez briefly restored Argentina's lead early in extra time before Sidney Lopes
00:42Cabral's stunning shot rocketed into the top corner another Argentina corner finally got the job done
00:49when Christian Romero rose highest to head Messi's corner the ball going in off a deflection from
00:54Daini Borges for an own goal Lyle Bisselest will face Egypt on Tuesday in Atlanta but there were
01:01concerns for Lionel Scaloni on his 100th match in charge despite what appears a favorable draw
01:08Scaloni said it would have been madness to lose to the underdogs a very tough match you always have
01:14to take the positives this team Argentina never gives up he said we have to congratulate the opponent
01:21tournament when people say there are no easy opponents they prove today that they are a great
01:25team he added we finished very tired they gave it their all Cape Verde had served warning of what
01:32they were capable of by holding European champions Spain Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to draws in Group H to
01:39reach the knockout stages in their first World Cup appearance the Blue Sharks coach Bubista said the
01:45meeting with the meeting with the world champions would be the game of our lives and it showed in a
01:49spirited display that had Argentina sweating on his return to the city where he plays his club football for
01:56Inter Miami Messi's every move was greeted like a god by the nearly 65,000 crowd mainly in Argentina shirts
02:04the 39 year old produced a moment of magic with a feather-like touch from Lissandro Martinez's pass
02:10to set up a high finish past Vozinha to open the scoring in doing so Messi also extended his own
02:18record of scoring in eight consecutive World Cup games and opened up a two-goal cushion once more over
02:23France's Kylian Mbappe in the battle to be the competition's all-time top goal scorer
02:29Emi Martinez had been a spectator in the first half but the Aston Villa goalkeeper was forced
02:34into a smart save by Duarte as Cape Verde started the second period with more attacking intent
02:40Martinez was powerless for the equalizer moments later when Duarte was picked out by
02:45Ryan Mendez and rifled a low shot into the far corner Cape Verde's 40 year old goalkeeper
02:51Vozinha became an internet sensation after his man-of-the-match showing against Spain last month
02:57his nearly 18 million instagram followers will have enjoyed him winning a one-on-one battle with
03:02Messi when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner seemed certain to restore Argentina's lead
03:08Irish-born Pico Lopes was next to be a Cape Verdean hero with a crucial intervention to deny Enzo
03:14Fernandez a tap-in after more inspiration from Messi created an opening
03:19Lissandro Martinez's rising drive after a corner fell the Manchester United defenders way two minutes into
03:25extra time look to have swung the momentum decisively in Argentina's favor once more
03:31but again Cape Verde refused to bow and leveled with one of the goals of the tournament when Lopa
03:37Cabral smashed into the top corner the fullback ran off into the stands to celebrate with his partner
03:44elsewhere around the crowd the boisterous atmosphere that had accompanied most of the
03:48evening gave way to nervous tension as penalties approached Scaloni could only wipe his furrowed
03:54brow with relief when Messi's corner was turned in for an own goal by the unfortunate Borges
04:00yet an exhausted Argentina still had to ride their luck from a Cape Verde onslaught in the final seconds
04:07Emi Martinez this time won the battle with Lopez Cabral by tipping over another sweet strike that
04:12was headed for the top corner
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