Argentina vs Cape Verde

Argentina vs Cape Verde in the Round of 32, played July 3, went to extra time and finished 3-2 to Argentina in a match widely described as one of the best games of the tournament, with Cristian Romero's extra-time goal finally settling it.
Cape Verde, playing at their first-ever World Cup after finishing second in Group H behind Spain in a group they went through unbeaten, drawing Spain 0-0, Uruguay 2-2 and Saudi Arabia 0-0, twice found the net against the reigning champions and pushed Argentina all the way before falling in extra time. Lionel Messi and Lisandro Martinez were both on the scoresheet for Argentina in a match that swung back and forth before Romero's late intervention. Cape Verde's run ended at the first knockout hurdle, but the small island nation's tournament debut, built on three straight draws in the group stage, was hailed globally as one of FWC26's standout stories regardless of the result.
Follow Argentina vs Cape Verde for the complete story of that Round of 32 classic, with the widget below tracking lineups, scoring, discipline and match statistics from the game. For Cape Verde, simply reaching this stage on a World Cup debut is a landmark in itself; for Argentina, the extra-time win kept their title defense alive through a Round of 16 comeback against Egypt and into a quarterfinal against Switzerland. Track the page here for the full match data.