India, July 4 -- Lionel Messi did not sound angry when he spoke about Cabo Verde after Argentina's narrow World Cup escape. If anything, the smile behind the line made the scene even sharper: the same players who had roughed him up for 120 minutes were waiting for him after the final whistle, asking for photos, memories and his jersey.

Argentina's 3-2 extra-time win over Cabo Verde in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 was not the smooth passage the defending champions would have expected. Cabo Verde, the smallest nation to reach the knockout stage, turned the night into a scrap, pushed Argentina beyond normal time, and forced Messi's side to survive rather than stroll into the next round.

Messi had opened the scoring in the 29th minut...