Argentina had to spend 120 minutes of hardship to defeat Cabo Verde with a score of 3-2 after extra time, thereby winning a ticket to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Center-back Cristian Romero became the hero when he headed in the decisive goal in the 111th minute after Lionel Messi's corner kick. The ball touched defender Diney Borges before flying into the net, ending the brave resistance of the African representative.
However, Argentina's victory only came after Cabo Verde almost created one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. In their first appearance at the biggest football festival on the planet, they equalized twice against the defending champion, including a goal in extra time, putting Argentina at risk of being eliminated at many times.
This is considered the most difficult challenge Argentina has faced since the beginning of the tournament, despite the huge gap in the FIFA rankings.
Before the match, coach Lionel Scaloni warned his players not to underestimate Cabo Verde, emphasizing that this is a well-organized team, with disciplined defense and completely worthy of participating in the knockout round.
Reality on the field proves that his prediction was completely accurate. After two equalizers, Cabo Verde continued to retreat deep into the squad, defending bravely and causing Argentina countless difficulties. Goalkeeper Vozinha had an excellent performance with eight saves, making a great contribution to bringing the match into extra time.
Although Argentina ultimately still qualified for the next round, they had to go through one of the most tense matches under Scaloni. Messi's full 120 minutes also showed how great the pressure that Cabo Verde created was.
Scaloni once predicted that this would be a difficult match, but perhaps even he could not have imagined that Cabo Verde would approach such an earthquake.
If Argentina is eliminated, this will be one of the biggest shocks in the history of World Cup knockout rounds according to the FIFA rankings. Currently, the record still belongs to the 2018 World Cup, when the Russian team (FIFA No. 70) defeated Spain (FIFA No. 10) in the penalty shootout to win the right to the quarterfinals.
Despite stopping, Cabo Verde still deserves praise. Few teams leave the World Cup in failure but still leave as much of an impression as the African representative. They have come very close to creating one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will certainly be an unforgettable tournament for the people of Cabo Verde. The draw against Spain, the first goal in World Cup history against Uruguay and Sidny Cabral's masterpiece against Argentina will forever be memorable milestones. For many people, this journey has helped Cabo Verde truly become known to the whole world.
Their next challenge is to maintain their presence in the biggest playground on the planet. The path to winning tickets from the African region is always extremely harsh, even traditional teams like Nigeria or Cameroon have missed many times. However, Cabo Verde can completely take the first World Cup as a foundation to continue developing.
The next goal of this team is to win a ticket to the 2030 World Cup. Although the journey at this year's tournament has closed, Cabo Verde can still leave the game with pride and a high-headed posture.
