Lionel Messi versus Vozinha. It is the World Cup battle no-one knew they wanted, but which fans now cannot wait to see. Arguably the greatest player the world has seen faces a 40-year-old goalkeeper who was a complete unknown three weeks ago. On Friday night at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, Argentina and Cape Verde will meet for the first time in their histories – and the mismatch could hardly be starker.
Argentina are the reigning world champions, having beaten France on penalties after a 3-3 draw in Qatar four years ago. They cruised through Group J with a perfect record: wins over Algeria 3-0, Austria 2-0 and Jordan 3-1. They have not been out of the top three of the Fifa world ranking since March 2022, and spent two years in the number one spot. La Albiceleste have won three World Cups – 1978, 1986 and 2022 – and 16 Copa America titles, including the past two tournaments.
“Cape Verde face Argentina in World Cup round of 32 after unbeaten group stage debut.”
Cape Verde, by contrast, are making their World Cup debut. The Blue Sharks defied every expectation to reach the knockout rounds unbeaten: a goalless draw against European champions Spain, a 2-2 draw with two-time winners Uruguay, and another 0-0 against Saudi Arabia. Their qualification campaign was extraordinary – drawn in a group with eight-time qualifiers Cameroon, they finished top with one defeat in ten matches.
The Cape Verdean Football Federation was only formed in 1982, and accepted as a Fifa member in 1986 – just as Argentina were winning the World Cup for a second time. Cape Verde first entered World Cup qualifying in 2002, but only had a realistic chance in 2022, when they missed out on Qatar by drawing the final group game 1-1 in Lagos. Now they are here, and their journey is one of the best stories of this World Cup.
For Argentina, anything less than victory would be a seismic shock. For Cape Verde, another draw – or even a win – would dwarf their earlier results. The match kicks off at 11pm UK time (6pm local) and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and streamed on ITVX, with coverage starting at 10:15pm. The question is whether Messi can unlock a defence that held Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Or whether Vozinha, the 40-year-old unknown, will write his name into World Cup folklore.