Buenos Aires [Argentina], July 4 : Argentina president Javier Milei hailed the national men's side after they sealed the round of 16 spot in the ongoing FIFA World Cup in a hard-fought win over Cabo Verde.
Cabo Verde, powered by its wall Vozinha, produced a match of their lifetime for their fans, but fell slightly short of the class and big game pedigree of the defending champions, with an own goal dimming their pre-quarters dreams.
Following the win, Milei posted on X, "VAMOS ARGENTINA CARAJO...!!!", which roughly translates to "Let's Go Argentina, Damn It"
https://x.com/i/status/2073206182781612352
Coming to the match, Cabo Verde, making their first appearance in the World Cup knockout stages, started brightly and tested Argentina early through Ryan Mendes before the South American giants gradually asserted control.
The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Lionel Messi produced a moment of brilliance, controlling Lisandro Martinez's diagonal pass before firing into the roof of the net. The strike marked his seventh goal of the tournament, taking him to the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Argentina looked comfortable before halftime, but Cabo Verde returned with renewed intensity after the break. Their persistence paid off just before the hour mark when Mendes released Deroy Duarte, who finished confidently from a tight angle to score his country's first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage goal and level the contest.
Despite creating several chances, Argentina were repeatedly denied by veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, whose outstanding saves from Messi kept the scores level and forced the match into extra time.
Argentina restored their advantage almost immediately after extra time began as Lisandro Martinez converted from close range following a corner in the 92nd minute. Yet Cabo Verde refused to back down, with Sidny Lopes Cabral producing a stunning curling effort in the 103rd minute from a tight angle to make it 2-2 once again.
The decisive moment came in the second half of extra time when Messi's corner was met by Romero, whose powerful header took a slight deflection off Diney Borges before finding the back of the net in the 111th minute.
Cabo Verde nearly forced penalties late on, but Emiliano Martinez produced a vital save to deny Lopes Cabral's powerful free-kick and secure Argentina's progress.