by AKANI CHAUKE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – DEBUTANTS Cape Verde are out of the World Cup, but they leave the global tournament standing tall, having won the hearts of millions who follow the beautiful game.
Argentina, the reigning champions, endured one of the most uncomfortable nights in their World Cup history and needed extra time to eliminate the first-timers 3-2 at the Miami Stadium in the early hours of Saturday.
In Miami, Lionel Messi was in familiar surroundings, and it came as no surprise that he masterminded the elimination of the Blue Sharks.
It was not a question of if, but when, the Inter Miami star would score.
The Argentine talisman and captain conjured that inevitable moment of magic in the 29th minute when he expertly controlled a long pass from Lisandro Martínez with his favoured left foot before smashing the ball past fellow veteran Vozinha into the roof of the net.
It was his seventh goal of the tournament and his 20th overall across all editions, extending his record as the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer.
From then on, it appeared La Albiceleste would extend their impressive record against African opposition at the tournament, although memories of their 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in 1990 remain an enduring scar for the South Americans.
However, with the match almost an hour old and the debutants enjoying a good spell, a commentator remarked, tongue-in-cheek, that Cape Verde, unlike Argentina, had never been beaten at the World Cup.
What followed was not a so-called commentator’s curse but one of the most defiant responses in the tournament’s history.
Deroy Duarte found the equaliser, firing past Emiliano Martínez from an acute angle after being set up by Ryan Mendes in the 59th minute.
It was the second consecutive Round of 32 match to go to extra time after Australia and Egypt in Dallas a few hours earlier.
Whatever the outcome of the additional 30 minutes, the fact that the tournament’s rank outsiders had taken the three-time champions to extra time will be remembered for years to come.
Three minutes into extra time, Martínez restored Argentina’s lead, smashing the ball into the roof of the net. The goal stood despite appeals for a foul in the build-up.
Cape Verde struck back in the 14th minute of extra time with one of the goals of the tournament, courtesy of Sidny Lopes Cabral.
Confusion remained over whether the eventual winning header should be credited to Cristian Romero or recorded as an own goal by Edilson Diney.
In the end, Messi and company prevailed.
For Cape Verde, history has been made.
They are the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage and the first World Cup debutants to go unbeaten in the group stage since 2002.
During the group stage, they drew with Saudi Arabia, powerhouse Spain and former champions Uruguay.
– CAJ News