Published On 4/7/2026
The qualification of the Argentine national team to the eighth final of the 2026 World Cup was not as easy as many expected, as the defending champion needed a full 120 minutes to resolve an exciting confrontation against Cape Verde with a score of 3-2, in a match during which the African national team proved that the difference in names does not mean anything when combined with tactical discipline and a strong personality.
Cape Verde entered the match with clear respect for the opponent, which was reflected in the performance of the first half, as the players seemed conservative and did not shoot any ball between the goalposts and the crossbar, contenting themselves with closing the spaces in front of the Argentine stars, so the half ended with them trailing with a single goal scored by Lionel Messi.
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But the picture changed completely after the break, as the African team advanced with greater pressure, gradually raised its lines, and succeeded in exploiting the spaces behind the Argentine defense until it equalized through Deroy Duarte, confirming that what it presented against Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stage was not a coincidence.
Against surrender
Many thought the match was over when Lisandro Martinez restored Argentina’s lead at the start of the first extra period, but the Cape Verde national team refused to give up again.
A few minutes later, Sidney Lopes Cabral fired a stunning shot from outside the penalty area into the top corner of Argentina’s goal, in one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament, bringing the match back to zero and putting the world champion under tremendous psychological pressure.
Squeeze at the ends
Although Cristian Romero gave Argentina the winning goal with a deflected header, Cape Verde continued the pressure until the last moments, and not only did not retreat to the defense, but tried to equalize for the third time, forcing Lionel Scaloni’s squad to play one of its most difficult matches since winning the World Cup title.
The irony is that Cape Verde entered the match with the oldest average age for a starting lineup in an elimination match in World Cup history, with an average of 31 years and 197 days, and despite that, it competed with the world champion physically and mentally until the last minute.
As for Argentina, it survived a scenario that could have led it to penalty kicks, and continued the series of marathon matches in the knockout rounds, after playing in extra time for the twelfth time in the history of its participation in the World Cup, equaling the record recorded in the name of Germany.
Alerts to Scaloni’s battalion
Although the Albiceleste qualified, the match revealed clear gaps in Argentina’s defensive system, especially against teams that attack courageously and are not affected by the delay in the result.
Also, the Argentine star Lionel Messi seemed isolated from the rest of his teammates amid a large concentration of Cape Verde players, which made the Argentine national team poor in solutions and revealed the big difference between the level of the national team with a free Messi, and its level with an isolated Messi!
Therefore, Lionel Scaloni will be required to find quick solutions before facing the Egyptian national team in the eighth final, after Cape Verde proved that constant pressure and exploitation of spaces behind the defense are capable of putting the defending champion in an extremely difficult position.
In the end, Cape Verde was eliminated from the tournament, but it left a strong impression that it was not just a new guest at the World Cup, but rather a team that imposed its respect, and almost wrote one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 World Cup, after it caused Messi and his companions to sweat coldly until the final whistle.
