Defending champions Argentina survived a major setback to beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Saturday, booking their place in the World Cup Round of 16 after a fierce battle that pushed the reigning champions to their limits.The small group Blue Sharks, based on the coast of West Africa, played folk music, refusing to practice because of the weight of the Argentine team in South Florida. It took a brutal goal in the 111th minute to break their resistance as Cristian Romero’s volley headed Cape Verde’s Diney Borges into the net, sealing La Albiceleste’s ticket to the quarter-finals.Earlier, it was the peerless Lionel Messi who set the stadium alight in the 29th minute. Running behind the defense, Messi caught a high pass from Lisandro MartÃnez, took an early catch, and slammed the ball into the roof of the net. The strike marked Messi’s 20th goal in the World Cup, taking him to the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals at the tournament, ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.However, the Cape Verde legend, followed by a 10-save performance from the 40-year-old Gozinha, was not over. Deroy Duarte surprised his teammates with a brilliant formula during the legal season. After extra time, Lisandro MartÃnez restored Argentina’s lead in the 103rd minute, while Sidny Lopes Cabral responded immediately with a stunning goal that left the stadium in disbelief.In the end, a sprint saw Argentina break through, saved by late-game heroics to deny Cape Verde a last-second lead.While the African champions bowed out after a stellar campaign that included jaw-dropping group results against Spain and Uruguay, Argentina marched on. The world champions will now travel to Atlanta on Tuesday for a top-of-the-table Round of 16 match against Egypt, who advanced after defeating Australia in a shootout.
