​Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champions Argentina barely withstood an extraordinary effort from huge underdog Cape Verde in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday night in Miami. The match was among the most stunning and entertaining in World Cup history, and Cape Verde nearly delivered one of football’s greatest upsets in the island nation’s debut at the tournament. Cape Verde erased multiple deficits with equalizers before Argentina netted the decisive goal in extra time to seal a 3-2 victory. Fox’s English-language broadcast featured play-by-play announcer John Strong and color commentator Stu Holden. Here’s a recap of their calls for the key moments.
Messi extended his World Cup scoring record by tapping home his 20th goal to put Argentina ahead in the first half. Strong: “LIONEL MESSI! AS HE HAS DONE NINETEEN PRIOR TIMES IN HIS CAREER, HE DOES IT AGAIN—TWENTIETH CAREER WORLD CUP GOAL! ARGENTINA OUT IN FRONT HERE IN MIAMI!” Many viewers likely assumed that would be enough for Argentina, but Cape Verde leveled early in the second half. Strong: “IT’S A GOAL! CAPE VERDE HAVE SCORED! DEROY DUARTE SENDS A SHOCKWAVE ACROSS THE GLOBE! CAPE VERDE HAVE TIED THE GAME AGAINST ARGENTINA!”
The match went to extra time, where the drama intensified. Shortly after extra time began, Argentina reclaimed the lead through Lisandro Martínez. Strong: “LISANDRO MARTÍNEZ! HIS FIRST CAREER WORLD CUP ASSIST EARLIER; NOW HIS FIRST CAREER WORLD CUP GOAL! AND ARGENTINA TAKE THE LEAD IN EXTRA TIME!” Cape Verde answered again with a sensational strike from Sidny Lopes Cabral. Strong: “SIDNY LOPES CABRAL DELIVERS AN INSANE GOLAZO EQUALIZER FOR CAPE VERDE IN EXTRA TIME!” The Fox commentary added to the awe as Strong declared, “IT’S INCREDIBLE! IT’S REMARKABLE! IT’S ALMOST UNBELIEVABLE! IT’S CAPE VERDE, FOR A SECOND TIME TONIGHT, TIEING THE GAME!” Holden added with his characteristic enthusiasm: “I love this game, man.”
In the 111th minute, a Lionel Messi corner kick off the Cape Verde defense resulted in an own goal off Diney Borges, giving Argentina another lead. Argentina would hold on to win 3-2.