Argentina captain Lionel Messi he joked about the brutality he received when his team won 3-2 against Cape Verde in the match. FIFA World Cup Round of 32, he says that his opponents were happy to ask for selfies and shirts after the match while kicking him.After the final whistle in Miami, many Cape Verdean players approached Messi for photos and jerseys, and the Argentine star gladly accepted despite the physical battle he endured during the match.“They asked me for my jersey, everything… On the pitch, they kicked me out,” Messi joked, according to TyC Sports.Despite securing a place in the round of 16, Messi admitted Argentina were pushed hard by a determined Cape Verde side who impressed earlier in the tournament.The Argentina captain praised his team’s ability to use consistent possession, an area he says has been a focus in recent weeks.“This team has been showing this for a long time, competing and will compete until the end. Today, we saw the importance of set-pieces, which we haven’t changed well recently. In games like this, it’s important. We have good heads, players who are good in space,” he said.“Today we were able to take advantage, and it will be important. We have been working for some time, offensively and defensively. In a competition like this, it is important.”However, Messi was not entirely satisfied with Argentina’s performance and felt that the defenders lost control after taking the lead.“We knew it would be a very difficult game,” admitted Messi. “There is a reason why the team did not lose in Spain and Uruguay. We did a lot of hard work, which was to get the first goal, and we thought that, thanks to that, we would find our rhythm. And it was very different. We lost possession, we sat behind, we could not press well.”Argentina eventually survived the scare and progressed to the last 16, but Messi’s comments suggest there is still room for improvement as the knockout stages continue.
