By Gopal Ram Tripathi
The curse was written for the Argentines and for sure it was foreseen that the defending champions would face problems. Argentina needed extra time to beat Cape Verde on Friday. The final score was 3-2. This was a round-of-32 match at the World Cup in Miami. Argentina are the defending champions. But Cape Verde, playing in their first-ever World Cup, made them work hard for the win. For long stretches, it looked like the small island nation might pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. A sense of miracle pulled off by a nation who only dreamt of facing the ‘Sharks’ in their match of a lifetime.
Messi’s historical run goes on, But Cape Verde had other plans
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute. Lisandro Martinez sent a long pass over the Cape Verde defense. Messi ran onto it, took a touch with the outside of his boot, and finished into the net. It was his 20th World Cup goal. No other player has scored that many goals across World Cup tournaments. Messi is now playing in his sixth World Cup, at age 39.
Argentina looked in control after that goal. But Cape Verde did not give up. Their captain, Ryan Mendes, broke free down the right side. He passed the ball into the box. Deroy Duarte controlled it and scored, tying the game just before the hour mark. The goal silenced most of the 64,478 fans inside the hot and humid stadium in Miami.
Messi almost scored again before the end of normal time. In the 72nd minute, his free kick was tipped away by Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Vozinha. Ten minutes later, Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes had to step in to stop Enzo Fernandez from scoring. Neither team could find a winner in 90 minutes. The match went to extra time. Like they said before, it was always ‘Vozinha’s Wish’ that brought them to this stage to put on a show tonight.
Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the limits
Extra time started fast. Just two minutes in, Lisandro Martinez struck a powerful shot into the roof of the net. This put Argentina back in front, 2-1. It looked like Argentina might finally pull away. But at this point, 30 minutes has never looked too long in a football match like it did tonight.
Cape Verde was not finished. In the 103rd minute, left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral curled a beautiful shot into the top corner of the goal. The score was level again, 2-2. It was one of the best goals of the tournament so far. For a moment, it seemed possible that Cape Verde could complete a historic upset against a three-time World Cup winner.
Cape Verde's players showed no fear all match. Their sweeper, Kevin Pina, was one of the best players on the field. Their goalkeeper, Vozinha, made several important saves. The team from Cape Verde has only about half a million people. Yet they matched Argentina's effort for almost the whole game and changed the whole narrative.
At last Argentina came in clutch
The winning goal came six minutes into the second half of extra time. Messi swung a corner kick into the box. Argentina defender Cristian Romero jumped and headed the ball toward goal. The ball came off the arm of Cape Verde defender Diney Borges before going in. Because of this, the goal was recorded as an own goal, not a goal for Romero. Still, it gave Argentina the lead again, 3-2. Still, there were minutes on the clock for Cape Verde to rewrite history.
Cape Verde tried to equalize one more time. Lopes Cabral hit a strong free kick late in the match. But Argentina's goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, made a big save to keep the ball out. That save protected Argentina's lead until the final whistle. A sigh of breath for the Argentines.
Cape Verde has our respect, Argentina marches on
The final result was 3-2 for Argentina, after extra time. The Argentine team now moves on to face Egypt. That match will be played in Atlanta next Tuesday.
For Cape Verde, the World Cup journey is now over. But they leave with a lot of pride. They were the only true first-time team to make it out of the group stage. Three other teams played in their first World Cup this year too: Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan. None of them advanced as far as Cape Verde did.
Before this match, Cape Verde had not lost a single game in the tournament. They tied Spain 0-0. They tied Uruguay 2-2. They also tied Saudi Arabia 0-0. Those results were enough to send them through to the knockout stage. Making them the team after Chile in 1998 to qualify for the knockout stage with just three points.
Even in defeat, Cape Verde played with heart and skill.They pushed one of the best teams in the world to the very last minutes of extra time. The Argentines applauded them for what they have done today and will be remembered for years. Fans around the world are already calling them one of the best stories of this World Cup. The team will return home as heroes, having put their small island nation on the map for football fans everywhere.
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