Messi suffers greatly against Cape Verde in one of the most epic matches ever seen at a World Cup

BarcelonaThe match between Argentina and Cape Verde will be remembered over the years. If the World Cups are exciting, it is because of matches like these, when logic breaks down, when anything can happen. On a humid and sticky night in Miami, modest Cape Verde came within a whisker of eliminating Argentina in a match decided in overtime where anything went. Goals, blows, and a player climbing into the stands. Finally, the reigning champions managed to survive after a very demanding duel against a Cape Verde team that heads home with their heads held high, having become one of the most beautiful stories of the tournament. Nobody knew them and now everyone admires them.

The Cape Verdeans, with their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, almost wiped the smile off Messi's face. And the Argentine seems happy these days. Just turned 39, he approaches every game he plays as if it were a gift from heaven. Four years ago, he got a weight off his shoulders when he finally led Argentina to the top of the world by winning the World Cup in Qatar. Now he is a different man, aware of the passage of time. He has already understood that his fame will be immortal, but his body will not. He approaches every game he plays as if it were his last. And the duel against Cape Verde was almost not the last he played in a World Cup. The Argentinians were forced to play overtime after a match where their game was too slow. But finally, they were able to raise their fists to the sky of a Hard Rock Stadium that, instead of being in Miami, seemed to have its foundations rooted in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Their next opponent will be Mohamed Salah's Egypt, who defeated Australia on penalties.

Transformed into a modern Pied Piper, Messi plays his music, moving thousands of people behind him. Thousands of Argentinians live in Miami, but many more have arrived at the stadium from Buenos Aires, Rosario, Europe, or any corner of the planet. Everyone wants to see him before he retires. Everyone believes in Messi, a genius who has not been doubted for years. The problem is that if the team surrounding him generates more doubt, too dependent on his genius. Despite scoring the first goal, Argentina saw Cape Verde equalize twice and almost force penalty shootouts.

Under the gaze of friends present at the stadium like David Beckham, or Shakira, Messi has taken charge of opening the scoring after 25 minutes where almost nothing had happened, beyond two plays of his. He is the beginning and the end of everything. Just after the hydration break, he entered the penalty area, made an impossible control and beat the veteran goalkeeper Vozinha. It was his seventh goal in this World Cup. It was his 20th goal in World Cups, a figure that no footballer had ever reached. And the eighth consecutive match in a World Cup where he scores goals. The list of records with Messi as the protagonist never ends.

It seemed Argentina would not suffer. But they didn't score the second. Cape Verde remained well-closed in defense and chose key moments to open up and bite. This is how Deroy Duarte's goal arrived in the second half, due to a defensive error by a team that, at times, was walking. The worst version of Argentina in the tournament complicated their lives too much, sending balls to a Messi who did what he could, always surrounded by three rivals. The former Barça player created three clear chances, but saw Vozinha save them. The 40-year-old goalkeeper has become one of the stars of the World Cup, going from an unknown to a true hero. Thanks to him, this modest team, making its World Cup debut, reached extra time. If in the group stage they had drawn against two world champions like Uruguay and Spain, in the round of 16 they were giving the Argentinians a hard time.

And extra time was epic. Beautiful. Lisandro Martínez scored the 2-1 early on, but shortly after, Sidny Lopes Cabral scored one of the goals of the World Cup with a beautiful shot into the top corner. The player from Turkish Trabzonspor, aware that he had scored the goal of his life, went so wild that he decided to climb into the stands to find his girlfriend, causing chaos with security guards and fans. The blue sharks were causing chaos both on the pitch and in the stands with an epic performance that did not have a happy ending for them, as nine minutes from the end, a corner served by Messi was headed in by Cuti Romero.

The Africans have had two opportunities to draw, but here their journey ended. Argentina has qualified by suffering too much, losing part of the credit they had and ending with a good scare. They are lucky to have Messi. The captain has made an assist and a goal. He continues to make history on the verge of 40 years old. They will have to improve their level against Egypt if they want to defend their crown. Despite having Messi, this remains a team sport. And today, the best team was Cape Verde. The best player, Messi. Or perhaps Vozinha.