Defending champions Argentina survived an almighty scare to secure a breathless 3-2 extra-time victory over debutants Cape Verde on Saturday, booking their place in the last 16 of the World Cup after an epic battle that pushed the reigning kings to their absolute limits.The Blue Sharks, a tiny island nation off the West African coast, played out a script meant for folklore, refusing to buckle under the weight of a pro-Argentine crowd in South Florida. It took a cruel own goal in the 111th minute to finally break their resistance when Cristiano Romero’s powerful header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges into the net, sealing La Albiceleste’s ticket to the quarter-finals.Previously, the stadium was set on fire by the incomparable Lionel Messi in the 29th minute. Sprinting behind the defence, Messi latched on to Lisandro MartÃnez’s high pass, took an excellent first touch and hammered a clinical finish into the roof of the net. The strike marked Messi’s record 20th career World Cup goal, catapulting him to the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals at the tournament, ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.However, Cape Verde’s fairy-tale streak, based on the heroic performance of 10 saves by the 40-year-old Vozinha goalkeeper, was far from over. Deroy Duarte stunned the hosts with a smart equalizer in regulation time. As extra time began, Lisandro MartÃnez briefly restored Argentina’s lead in the 103rd minute, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to hit back almost immediately with a stunning equalizer that left the stadium in complete disbelief.In the end, championship mettle saw Argentina through the chaos, saved by late heroics from the goalkeeper who thwarted a desperate Cape Verde surge in the final seconds.While the African debutants bowed out after a historic campaign that included stunning group stage results against Spain and Uruguay, Argentina march on. The world champions now head to Atlanta on Tuesday for a high-stakes round of 16 clash against Egypt, who progressed after beating Australia on penalties.
