Messi’s Argentina Held to 1-1 Draw by Cape Verde, Forced to Extra Time in World Cup Round of 32

Lionel Messi’s bid for a second straight World Cup title hit an unexpected snag on Friday night in Miami, as Cape Verde — the smallest nation ever to reach the men’s World Cup knockout stage — dragged Argentina into extra time in a round-of-32 thriller at Hard Rock Stadium. Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute, but Deroy Duarte’s stunner in the 59th evened things at 1-1, sending the defending champions into unfamiliar territory against a squad ranked 67th in the world.

The result capped an already historic tournament for Messi, who entered the match as the co-leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup with six goals, tied with Kylian Mbappe. A goal against Cape Verde would have pushed him to 20 for his career, extending the record he set earlier in the group stage when he passed Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading men’s World Cup goalscorer. Messi broke that mark against Austria on June 22, scoring twice in a 2-0 win to reach 18 career World Cup goals — two clear of the German legend’s total of 16.

Cape Verde Refuses to Fold

Argentina controlled possession for long stretches but looked sluggish in transition, and Cape Verde made them pay. After Messi’s opener — a delicate finish over goalkeeper Vozinha off a Lisandro Martinez ball over the top — the Blue Sharks settled in and eventually broke through when Duarte found the net from a narrow angle to level the match at 1-1. It marked one of the rare moments all tournament that Cape Verde trailed; the debutants had spent only 16 minutes behind on the scoreboard through their first three group games, a run that included draws with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to sneak into the knockout stage as Group H runners-up.

Messi had a handful of late chances to reclaim the lead in regulation, including a free kick in the 72nd minute that nearly caught Vozinha off guard and another set piece in the 95th that the Cape Verde goalkeeper handled comfortably. Neither team could find a winner in 90 minutes, forcing the match to extra time with a spot in the round of 16 on the line.

What’s at Stake in the Knockout Rounds

The winner advances to face Egypt, who eliminated Australia on penalty kicks earlier Friday after both teams scored in regulation and neither could break through in extra time. Egypt won that shootout 4-2 and will meet the Argentina-Cape Verde survivor in Atlanta as the round of 16 continues.

Friday marked the final day of round-of-32 action, with all three matches on the docket — Australia-Egypt, Argentina-Cape Verde and Colombia-Ghana — carrying knockout stakes at three different venues. Argentina’s group-stage form made them one of the favorites to reach the later rounds; they won all three matches in Group J, capped by a 3-0 rout of Algeria in the opener where Messi scored a hat-trick, and the 2-0 win over Austria where he broke Klose’s all-time record. Cape Verde, by contrast, needed every bit of its underdog magic just to escape Group H, drawing Spain 0-0, Uruguay 2-2 and Saudi Arabia 0-0 to sneak through as runners-up on goal differential with Spain topping the group.

For Argentina, the stakes go beyond a single result. La Albiceleste are chasing a third World Cup in the Messi era and a second consecutive title after their 2022 triumph in Qatar, where they beat France on penalties in the final. A shock exit against Cape Verde would rank among the biggest upsets in tournament history given the gulf in world ranking and betting markets, where Argentina opened as roughly a -699 favorite on the moneyline heading into kickoff. Bettors looking to back the knockout rounds can find live lines through a DraftKings Promo Code or a FanDuel Promo Code as the tournament barrels toward the final rounds. For Cape Verde, simply forcing extra time against the reigning champions already stands as the signature moment of a World Cup run that has captivated neutrals across the tournament’s group stage and now into the knockouts.

The winner’s path forward is no gimme either. Egypt showed plenty of resolve in outlasting Australia on penalties, and whoever emerges from Miami will need to be sharp physically after 120-plus minutes of soccer in South Florida heat. Fans tracking futures and parlay markets through the knockout stretch can also check a Kalshi Promo Code for prediction-market action on how far Messi and Argentina can go, or a BetMGM Promo Code for standard match markets on the round of 16.