Argentina vs. Cape Verde appeared to be the most one sided match of the round of 32 World Cup. It almost reaches penalties! Everything seemed to go according to plan at first, after a dominant Argentina denied Cape Verde of any chances, with Messi scoring relatively early his seventh World Cup goal, at the 30th minute.
But Cape Verde grew in confidence, and a goal by Deroy Duarte in second half pushed the match to extra time. Lautaro Martínez immediately put Argentina again on top, but an incredible goal by Sidny Lopes Cabral, one of the best of the tournament so far, put the 2-2.
With just ten minutes before a potential historical penalty shootout, Messi shot a corner and Romero's header hit Diney Borges, which counted as an own-goal. And the Cape Verde's dream was over.
Still, while Argentina rightfully celebrates qualification in a stage that has not been easy for most teams (only Spain, France, Mexico, Switzerland, and USA won by more than one goal margin), the world is mourning for Cape Verde elimination, but celebrating the feat of the smallest country ever in World Cup (population of less than 525,000 inhabitants): most Argentinian players were worth more in the market than the entire Cape Verdean squad.
The word "historic" has been said a lot: Cape Verde had already drew with Uruguay and Spain (and they would have drawn with Argentina if it was not a knockout match). While Argentina won the match, Cape Verde won the hearts of millions of football fans around the world, and this match, and their entire run, will be remembered for ages in World Cup history books.
"It doesn't really matter who wins anymore, the 2026 World Cup will forever in my mind be the year of Cape Verde", said this fan, echoing the feelings of thousands of fans.
