A deflected own goal from the head of Diney Borges, three minutes from a penalty shootout, ended Cape Verde's remarkable World Cup run — and spared Lionel Messi the unthinkable.
The holders, twice pegged back by a team of part-timers and mortgage advisors, finally prevailed 3-2 after extra time in Miami. It took Argentina 120 minutes to see off a side ranked outside the world's top 60, whose combined starting XI value was less than £20m against Argentina's £360m.
“Cape Verde's World Cup dream ended by late own goal as Argentina escaped 3-2 in extra time.”
Messi had opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the tournament — a record-extending 20th in World Cup finals — after timing his run perfectly onto Lisandro Martinez's pass and lifting the ball over Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. "The run he makes is beyond the backline and the timing is excellent," said former Scotland forward James McFadden on BBC Radio 5 Live, calling the finish "just incredible".
But Cape Verde refused to fold. Deroy Duarte equalised in the second half, and after Martinez had restored Argentina's lead in extra time, Sidny Lopes Cabral struck again — with what was described as the goal of the tournament — to make it 2-2 on 103 minutes.
Outside the stadium, supporters draped in sky blue and white had lined the streets beating drums, singing, and posing beneath giant Argentina flags. Inside, a banner portrayed Messi alongside Diego Maradona as saint-like figures. "He's our hero," one fan said. "He's like our God." Another added: "He has aged like fine wine. The older he gets, the better he gets."
Messi's goal made him the fourth man to score in five successive World Cup knockout games. His tally of seven would have been enough to be top scorer in five of the past six World Cups. Yet even he could not dominate Cape Verde, who went "toe-to-toe with one of the true giants of world football", according to the Mirror's Jeremy Cross.
In the end, the decisive moment was cruel: a deflected own goal from Borges just before penalties. Vozinha, Cape Verde's goalkeeper, waved to his fans after the final whistle. The fairytale was over — but only after they had threatened to become "Messi and Argentina's kryptonite".