Nobody gives you anything for free: Messi hails Cape Verde after Argentina scare as the defending champions survived a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory in the World Cup round of 32. Lionel Messi praised the underdogs for pushing his team to the limit, highlighting that in knockout football, no opponent can be taken lightly. Argentina advanced to the round of 16, but only after Cape Verde nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
Messi opened the scoring with his 20th World Cup goal, extending his tournament record. Cape Verde equalized, but Lisandro Martínez put Argentina back ahead in stoppage time of regulation. The African side struck again in extra time before Tottenham defender Cristian Romero scored the winner in the 111th minute. His header from Messi’s corner deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges into the net. “As this team has demonstrated many times, it competes,” Messi said. “We competed to the end.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni also credited Cape Verde, saying, “When people say there’s no such thing as an easy opponent, today they proved they’re a great team.” Messi acknowledged the challenge, noting, “This team hadn’t lost to Spain and Uruguay for a reason. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal, but it was the complete opposite. Nobody gives you anything for free.” Cape Verde, led by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, became the smallest country to reach the knockout stage with a population of around 525,000, having drawn with Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia earlier.
In the end, Cape Verde’s historic run ended, but they proved that size doesn’t determine heart. Argentina moved on to face tougher tests in the round of 16. Messi’s message was clear: nobody gives you anything for free, and respect for every opponent is essential in World Cup football.