Miami, 04 July (H.S.): Defending champions Argentina advanced to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after defeating Cape Verde 3-2 in a hard-fought Round of 32 encounter that was decided in extra time on Friday.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi gave his side the lead in the 29th minute. Controlling a long pass from Lisandro Martínez with remarkable composure, Messi unleashed a powerful strike into the roof of the net to put the reigning champions ahead.

Cape Verde mounted an impressive comeback in the second half. In the 59th minute, Deroy Duarte beat Lisandro Martínez before finding the net to score Cape Verde's first-ever goal in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage.

With the score level at 1-1 after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time.

Argentina regained the lead in the first half of extra time when Lisandro Martínez capitalised on a rebound from a corner kick and fired the ball into the net.

Cape Verde refused to give up and equalised once again through Sidney Lopes Cabral, whose superb curling effort from outside the penalty area made it 2-2 and set up a dramatic finish.

The decisive moment came in the closing stages of extra time. Messi delivered a corner that Cristian Romero headed towards goal, and after a deflection off Diney Borges, the ball crossed the line to hand Argentina a thrilling 3-2 victory and secure its place in the Round of 16.

The victory keeps Argentina's title defence on course, while Cape Verde exited the tournament after delivering a spirited performance against the reigning world champions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar