Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde Islands hinged on late resilience. Lionel Messi put Argentina ahead in the 29th minute, assisted by Lisandro Martínez, but Cape Verde Islands answered in the 59th through Deroy Duarte from Ryan Mendes’s pass. Lisandro Martínez then restored Argentina’s lead in the 92nd minute, assisted by Alexis Mac Allister.
Cape Verde Islands kept the tie alive despite Argentina’s stronger control. Argentina had 64 percent possession, 22 shots and 10 on target, while Cape Verde Islands still produced 16 shots and 5 on target. Their persistence showed again in the 103rd minute, when Sidny Lopes Cabral scored with an assist from Yannick Semedo.
The margins stayed narrow elsewhere too: corners were 8-8 and fouls 13-12. Kevin Lenini was booked in the 68th minute, Gonzalo Montiel in the 115th, before Diney Borges’s 111th-minute own goal decided it for Argentina.
Zavit match desk — generated from live match data