The Round of 32 match between Argentina and Cape Verde was one of the most extraordinary games of FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite being the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup knockout stage, Cape Verde went toe-to-toe with reigning champions Argentina. Ultimately, Lionel Messi‘s Argentina managed to scrape into the Round of 16 with a narrow 3-2 win. After the match, Messi obliged to requests from Cape Verdean players and took time out to take pictures with them. He also made a humorous comment.
“They (Cape Verde players) asked for my jersey, everything… On the field, they kicked the crap out of me,” Messi said in the mixed zone after the match, as quoted by TyC Sports.
As to be expected, Messi was tightly marked by Cape Verde during the game. He was fouled five times. Messi opened the scoring for Argentina in the 29th minute.
Reflecting on the performance, Messi stressed that qualification alone was not enough and said the team must learn from their mistakes ahead of the knockout stages.
“Today, we put in a huge effort, as always, playing well and playing badly, just like we always say, but I think the important thing now is to rest, think about what’s coming next and try to take positives from today’s game. Beyond just qualifying, I think there are positives because we did some good things, and we also need to correct the bad ones, which I think were many today as well,” Messi said after the match as quoted by ESPN.
Messi, who opened the scoring in the 29th minute to extend his remarkable record of scoring in eight consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, acknowledged that Argentina struggled to maintain control after taking the lead.
“We knew it was going to be a very tough match; this team hadn’t lost to Spain and Uruguay for a reason. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal. We thought that from then on, we would start to find our game and be more relaxed, but it was the complete opposite. We lost the ball, we sat back, we couldn’t pressure them well, and they struck with their strengths,” he said.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner added that Argentina expected a difficult challenge from Cape Verde and said knockout football leaves no room for complacency.
“We knew it was going to be difficult; this is a knockout tournament, and nobody gives you anything for free,” Messi said.
With IANS inputs