Argentina Stayed Alive in World Cup Qualifying: Thanks to Cape Verde

We were just two fingertips away from the biggest surprise in World Cup history, and that is a reality that gives some pause for thought. Cape Verde, a country of ten volcanic rocks located in the Ocean with a population smaller than the city of Tuscon, pushed the world champions, the number one team on the planet and winners of the last World Cup, to the 111th minute in a qualifier. They equalized once in normal time, then equalized again in extra time with a world-class shot into the top corner, turning Miami into a delirium and gluing the entire planet to their televisions. Argentina managed to survive thanks to a set piece situation nine minutes from the end of extra time, and there is no more appropriate phrase than 'survived' for this place.

Lionel Scaloni's team advanced to the round of 16, and they deserved every centimeter of it, but we must be honest about the match we watched. Although Argentina had 64 percent of the ball, they played for long periods with the urgency of a Sunday picnic, passing the ball sideways. Deroy Duarte's goal in the 59th minute from a narrow angle was fully deserved because Argentina had become drowsy, disjointed and predictable. The bigger problem was that it shouldn't just be left to Lionel Messi, as Lautaro Martínez was nowhere to be seen again and the midfield controlled the flow of the match but created almost no danger between the lines.

The story of the match was a David versus Goliath struggle where a country with roughly half a million population looked the world champion in the eye for 120 minutes and never ran away. Cape Verde didn't park the bus in front of them and pray, on the contrary, they went toe-to-toe with Argentina in a World Cup qualifier. Deroy Duarte's goal was a shot with the aesthetics of a striker from a difficult angle, then Sidny Lopes Cabral's goal in extra time saw the ball enter the corner like a hammer, allowing the impossible to win for eight minutes. The stone grazed the giant's head after being slung, and history will remember how close they came.

Lionel Messi is rewriting history books with every step he takes on the pitch and he proved it tonight. His first touch to Lisandro Martínez's long ball in the 29th minute was beautiful and putting the ball past Vozinha was his 20th World Cup goal of his career. He has now scored in a record-extending eighth consecutive World Cup match dating back to 2022, and the man who wouldn't let him have a quiet night prepared the winning goal in the 111th minute from a free kick. At 39 years old, in his sixth World Cup, standing alone at the peak and leading the Golden Boot race with seven goals, the legendary player is putting on a show that others watch with faith.

Cape Verde brought the soul of the World Cup to this team and this squad deserves a rightful place in Hollywood scripts. 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha joined the tournament with 31 thousand Instagram followers but left with millions of followers and an immortalized save series, in fact a superb observation he made with reflexes during Messi's free kick showed his awareness. Roberto 'Pico' Lopes, who works at a bank in Dublin, joined this team after ignoring a call for months thinking the LinkedIn message was spam, and tonight he successfully marked the greatest footballer in history for 120 minutes. This story is truly incredible and Cape Verde wrote it with their performance on the pitch.