Lionel Messi left a message of confidence after Argentina’s suffering qualification to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. After beating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time, the Albiceleste captain assured that the current champion is prepared to fight for a new title.
“This team competes and will compete until the final,” said the forward after a much more complicated match than expected for those led by Lionel Scaloni.
Argentina opened the scoring with a goal from Messi, but Cape Verde responded twice to force an extra time full of emotions. Lisandro Martínez put the Albiceleste ahead again, Lopes Cabral equalized again and an own goal by Borges, in the 111th minute, ended up sealing Argentina’s place in the round of 16, where they will face Egypt.
Messi recognized the merit of the rival and recalled that Cape Verde had already complicated other teams during the group stage.
“We knew it was going to be a very tough game. It’s not for nothing that this team had not lost to Spain or Uruguay,” explained the Argentine captain.
The attacker also admitted that, after finding the first goal, the team believed that the game would be easier, but the opposite happened.
“We lost the ball there, we got a little behind, we couldn’t put pressure on them well and they hit with their weapon,” he commented.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner noted that Argentina had difficulty applying effective pressure and allowed the African team to find space for much of the match.
Despite the suffering, Messi highlighted the mental strength of the team and the importance of the aerial game, a facet that ended up being decisive in achieving classification.
“We have people who are doing very well at the top and today we were able to take advantage of it. It will be important to remain strong in that aspect,” he said.
Finally, the captain asked to turn the page as soon as possible and focus on the next challenge of the tournament.
“The important thing now is to rest, think about what’s coming, take the positive things and correct the bad things, which were many today too,” concluded Messi, convinced that Argentina still has room to improve on its path to defending the world title.
