Messi Hails Cape Verde’s Fighting Spirit After Gruelling World Cup Victory, Jokes About Shirt Requests

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has praised Cape Verde for pushing the reigning world champions to their limits in a thrilling FIFA World Cup Round of 32 encounter, admitting the African side made his team battle for every inch before securing a dramatic 3-2 victory after extra time.

The defending champions endured one of their most difficult tests of the tournament as World Cup debutants Cape Verde produced a fearless performance that came close to delivering one of the biggest upsets in the competition.

Argentina looked set for a comfortable evening when Messi opened the scoring early with his seventh goal of the tournament, giving his side the ideal start. However, Cape Verde refused to be intimidated by the star-studded South American team and responded with determination, twice cancelling out Argentina’s lead to force the match beyond the regulation 90 minutes.

After Cape Verde restored parity following Messi’s opener, Argentina regained the advantage in the second half through defender Lisandro Martínez. Yet the resilient African nation struck back once again when Lopes Cabral fired home an impressive equaliser, sending the contest into extra time and leaving the defending champions on the verge of a shock elimination.

With penalties looming, Argentina finally found the breakthrough that sealed their place in the next round. A dangerous corner kick created confusion inside the Cape Verde penalty area, and defender Diney inadvertently turned the ball into his own net, handing Argentina a hard-earned victory.

Speaking after the dramatic encounter, Messi admitted he had expected a difficult challenge from Cape Verde and joked about the contrast between the aggressive treatment he received during the game and what happened immediately after the final whistle.

“They asked for my jersey, everything… On the field, they kick the crap out of me,” Messi said with a laugh after Argentina’s 3-2 triumph.

Despite the physical nature of the contest, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was full of praise for Cape Verde’s resilience and competitive spirit, insisting their performance did not surprise him.

According to Messi, Cape Verde had already shown throughout the tournament that they possess the quality and determination to compete with the world’s strongest teams. He referenced their earlier displays against Spain and Uruguay as evidence that they were capable of causing serious problems for any opponent.

“This team has been demonstrating this for a long time. It competes and will compete until the end,” the Argentina captain said.

Messi also highlighted the importance of Argentina’s effectiveness from set-piece situations, noting that dead-ball opportunities ultimately proved decisive in such a tightly contested fixture.

“We saw the importance of set pieces, which we hadn’t been converting well lately. In matches like this, it’s important. We have good headers and players who are strong in the air,” he explained.

“We were able to take advantage of it, and it’s going to be important. We’ve been working on it for a while, both offensively and defensively. In a competition like this, it’s very important.”

The victory keeps Argentina’s hopes of successfully defending their World Cup title alive, but the match served as a reminder that there are no easy opponents in the knockout stages.

For Cape Verde, although their historic World Cup journey came to an end, their spirited performance against the defending champions earned widespread admiration. The tournament debutants demonstrated remarkable courage, tactical discipline, and resilience, pushing one of football’s greatest teams to extra time and leaving the competition with their heads held high.