Argentina has secured passage to the 1/8 finals of the World Cup with great difficulty, after defeating Cape Verde with a score of 3:2 only after overtime. The reigning world champion, although he was a big favorite, encountered tremendous resistance from the African representative.

Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead 1:0 in the 29th minute, scoring his 20th goal in the World Championships. He has become the first player to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches, while in this edition he has reached the quota of seven goals.

However, the lead did not stop the footballers of Cape Verde, who equalized in the 59th minute with Deroy Duarte. Regular time ended with the score 1:1, leading the match to overtime.

Just two minutes after the start of the first overtime, Lisandro Martinez restored the advantage for Argentina, scoring for 2:1, after he had also provided the assist in the first goal.

But the African representative did not give up. Sidny Lopes Cabral made it 2:2 in the 103rd minute, restoring the balance once again.

Argentina’s victory was sealed in the 111th minute, when after a Messi cross from the corner kick, Diney Borges deflected the ball into his own net. Initially, the goal was scored by Cristian Romero, but then it was identified as an own goal by Borges.

In the remaining minutes, Cape Verde had several good chances to equalize again, but failed to send the match to penalties.

This was considered one of the most spectacular and dramatic matches of this World Cup.

Source: prizrenpost