Miami, July 4 -- Lionel Messi continued to rewrite the FIFA World Cup record books on Friday as he became the first player in tournament history to score in eight consecutive World Cup matches during Argentina's Round of 32 clash against Cabo Verde in Miami.

The Argentina captain opened the scoring in the 29th minute to hand the defending champions a 1-0 lead, extending an extraordinary run that now spans eight successive World Cup appearances with a goal. The strike also took Messi's overall World Cup tally to 20 goals, further cementing his status among the greatest players in the tournament's history.

With the goal, Messi also became the first footballer to score seven goals in two separate FIFA World Cup editions, according to Opta ...