Argentina acted like the team that always wins. That's why they almost lost | Opinion

· Yahoo Sports

MIAMI — Two things are true after the wildest match of the 2026 World Cup: Cape Verde’s abilities were far underrated and Argentina really should’ve done better.

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The reigning World Cup champion with one of the best players in the world needed extra time to dispatch a tournament debutant and the smallest nation to ever play in a World Cup knockout round. The 3-2 final score Friday, July 3 never felt inevitable.

Cape Verde is more than a great story. It's a good team that defended well and wasn't afraid to go after a giant. It had another genuinely excellent performance from goalkeeper-turned-Instagram-celebrity Vozinha, fantastic team defending and a few attacking players who kept defenders honest.

And just like in 2022, Argentina got a rude wake-up call from an unexpected place. Last time, after they lost to Saudi Arabia in their opening match, they answered the call eagerly. Now, they are older. There is an extra game. It will be difficult to spring up once again, but Argentina must if it is going to add another star over its badge.

This was supposed to be the easiest of the potential round of 32 matchups. Argentina avoided Spain or Uruguay thanks, in part, to Cape Verde stymieing both of those former world champions.

Friday night, they frustrated the hell out of another.

Argentina started well, and it got the requisite Lionel Messi goal in the 29th minute. Everything seemed to be going to script.

Yet, after the goal from Messi, Argentina let up. There were still five shots on target in the second half, two from Messi on free kicks that Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper blocked. But in open play, Argentina kept doing what it always does. It moved the ball, it searched for weak points.

It just couldn’t find any.

The emotions were too in check. The urgency simply not there. Argentina acted like the team that always wins. Fair enough, but one of the reasons Argentina always wins is because it generally knows how to manage a game, when to push and when to decelerate. Tonight, that instinct was absent.

WATCH: Deroy Duarte scores equalizer for Cape Verde against Argentina in World Cup

Another reason is Messi, but he clearly can't win a World Cup all on his own. Argentina's next match will be against Egypt in the round of 16. If it wins that, there will be a potential Copa América final rematch with Colombia in the quarterfinals. And if Argentina make the final four, someone will have to step up — specifically to score goals.

At Miami Stadium, it was the centerbacks who ended up coming to Messi's aid. Lisandro Martínez had a striker's finish on his extra-time goal that found the roof of the net shortly after the 30 minutes began. And Cristian Romero headed a Messi corner off a Cape Verde defender's arm to give Argentina the lead for the third and final time.

Cape Verde had better chances to draw than Argentina had to finally go two goals clear, but they didn't relinquish.

While Argentina narrowly cleared this first knockout hurdle, the next four will only get taller and taller. More great goalkeepers are still in the tournament. More teams loom that can defend resolutely and hit going forward.

Argentina must raise their level if they are going to send Messi off with another trophy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Argentina acted like the team that always wins. That's why they almost lost | Opinion

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