Argentina avoids massive upset with wild extra-time win over Cape Verde

Argentina and Lionel Messi survived. Barely.

World Cup debutant Cape Verde went blow-for-blow with the reigning champion on Friday, but came up agonizingly short as the Albiceleste claimed an enthralling 3-2 win in extra time to avoid one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.

The winning goal arrived from a Messi corner kick in the 111th minute.

Argentina's Cristian Romero was initially credited as the scorer after he rose highest to get his head on Messi's outswinging cross, but it was eventually changed to a Diney Borges own goal; the ball deflected off his hand before finding the net.

That settled an incredible contest in Miami that ebbed and flowed for 120 minutes, with Argentina getting pushed to the absolute limit.

Cape Verde, the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup knockout stage, defied the odds just to force extra time in the first place, playing out a 1-1 draw over 90 minutes.

The Blue Sharks quickly fell behind in extra time to a wicked Lisandro Martinez strike, but then Sidny Lopes Cabral delivered arguably the best goal (and celebration) of the tournament so far to equalize once again.

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The full-back's reaction was equal parts elation and shock.

But Argentina eventually recovered from that incredible sucker punch, and its third lead of the match was one that Messi and Co. wouldn't relinquish against the African underdogs.

"Some people may underestimate certain teams, but we knew this was never going to be an easy match," Messi said, according to Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald.

Lionel Scaloni's team will now play Egypt in the round of 16, a meeting that will pit Messi against Mohamed Salah.

It appeared as though Argentina would arrive at that same outcome in a much simpler fashion when Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute with his record-extending 20th career World Cup goal.

But Cape Verde didn't back down after going behind. Far from it.

Deroy Duarte scored in the 59th minute to shock the Albiceleste - and the pro-Argentina crowd in Miami - and Vozinha stood tall from there. The 40-year-old Cape Verde netminder, a breakout social media star at the tournament after his clean sheet against Spain, made eight saves overall, including multiple stops on Messi throughout the game.

But even his resistance was eventually broken by Argentina, which finished the match with 22 total shot attempts en route to a narrow World Cup escape that keeps the South American team's title defense alive.

Both sets of exhausted players crumbled to the pitch at the full-time whistle: Cape Verde in agony, and Argentina in relief.

"It was a really tough match. You always have to focus on the positives. This team never gives up," Scaloni said, according to FIFA. "And I have to give credit to our opponents. Today Cabo Verde proved they're a great team. The truth is, everyone finished really tired, because they gave it their all."