Messi suffers greatly against Cape Verde in one of the most epic matches in World Cup history

BarcelonaThe match between Argentina and Cape Verde will be remembered as the years go by. If the World Cups are exciting, it's 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 tie decided in overtime where anything and everything happened. Goals, tackles, and a player climbing into the stands. In the end, 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 (3-2). 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 Argentinian looks happy these days. Just turned 39, he faces every match he plays as if it were a gift from heaven. Four years ago, he shed 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 faces every match he plays as if it were his last. And it was a close call, but the duel against Cape Verde was not the last he would play in a World Cup. The Argentinians were forced to play overtime after a match where their play was too slow. But in the end, they were able to raise their fists to the sky of a Hard Rock Stadium that, instead of 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 and moves 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 other 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 the team surrounding him does raise doubts, too dependent on his flashes of genius. Despite scoring the first goal, Argentina saw Cape Verde equalize twice and almost force a penalty shootout.

Under the gaze of friends present at the stadium like David Beckham or Shakira, Messi took charge of opening the scoring after 25 minutes in which 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 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 no footballer had ever reached. And the eighth consecutive match scoring in a World Cup. The list of records with Messi as the protagonist never ends.

Argentina seemed like they wouldn't suffer, but they didn't score the second goal. 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 playing at a walking pace. The worst version of Argentina in the tournament complicated their lives too much by sending balls to a Messi who did what he could, always surrounded by three opponents. The former Barça player created three clear chances, but saw Vozinha save them. The veteran goalkeeper has become one of the standout names of the World Cup, and has gone from being unknown to being a hero. Thanks to him, this modest team, which was debuting in a World Cup, has reached extra time. If in the first phase the Cape Verdeans 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 to make it 2-1 right at the start, 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 Turkey's 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 and caused chaos with security guards and fans. The blue sharks were turning the game around both on the field and in the stands with an epic performance that did not have a happy ending for them, as nine minutes from the end, Cuti Romero headed in a corner served by Messi.

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 provided an assist and a goal. He continues to make history at the age of 40. The albicelestes 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 has been Cape Verde. The best player, Messi. Or perhaps Vozinha.