Miami Gardens: Lionel Messi’s goal-scoring streak lived on, and he made it look easy. His hopes of a second consecutive World Cup title also lived on – and that accomplishment was anything but easy.
Messi’s goal in the 29th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his record and moving him two ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappe on the all-time list. It was the opener of what became a wild night, with Argentina escaping with a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in extra time against a huge underdog.
Messi was pictured later at his media conference with a large bump on his head after apparently being hit with a knee during a collision with a Cape Verde player.
“It hurts a little but I’m good,” he was quoted in comments translated from Spanish about the goose-egg over his right eye.
Messi – who now has goals in a record eight consecutive World Cup games going back to Argentina’s run to the 2022 title – seemed relieved after the match, and lauded Cape Verde’s defense for giving his club fits.
“We did good things,” Messi said in his native Spanish, “and we have to correct the bad things.”
Messi has seven goals in this World Cup – one more than Mbappe in the race for the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament – and has scored 12 times during his eight-game World Cup streak. He has been great, and Argentina has needed him to be great.
“For me, it represents a lot to be friends with him,” said Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate with Argentina and Inter Miami. “For me, friendship is one of the most important things that we all have and I consider myself fortunate to be there, to share these moments with him.”
And there has been no shortage of moments.
Messi had the game’s first good chance Friday, his all-world left foot sending a shot skidding across the goal mouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.
But the momentum was shifting, and before long, Messi broke through for a 1-0 lead. He timed his run perfectly on a ball played into the box by defender Lisandro Martinez to stay onside, controlled the pass and then lifted a shot over Vozinha’s left shoulder from close range for his 124th international goal. Only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has more.
Messi stretched his arms and pointed to Martinez, saluting the pass, before teammates mobbed him in celebration.
Argentina was a huge favorite – some sportsbooks had the defending champions at minus-3500 to win, meaning bettors would have to wager $3,500 to profit $100 – and the Messi goal probably had some thinking the scoring dam was about to break.
It wasn’t.
Cape Verde scored to knot the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and Messi set up the eventual winner with a corner kick that bounced off some heads and into the net midway through the second half of extra time.
“As this team has demonstrated many times, and as I’ve said many times, it competes,” Messi said. “And we competed to the end.”
The Golden Boot race may go down to the end as well, with the four leaders now all safely into the Round of 16.
Messi and Mbappe are far from the only contenders in the Golden Boot race: Norway’s Erling Haaland and England’s Harry Kane each had five goals entering Friday, while four players – France’s Ousmane Dembele, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr – had four. Sarr is out of the running since Senegal has been eliminated.
Norway, England and France have advanced to the Round of 16; Argentina and Messi, the Inter Miami star who is widely considered the greatest player ever, now join them – barely.
“Our team did everything we could to win the game,” Cape Verde goalie Vozinha said.
Messi has never won the Golden Boot. He finished second with seven goals – one behind Mbappe – while leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, and he tied for third with four goals in 2014.
If there’s a tie atop the goal list when the tournament ends, FIFA will use assists as the first tiebreaker and fewest minutes played as the second tiebreaker. Entering Friday, that meant Mbappe would have had the edge over Messi based on his 2-0 lead in assists.
But for now, Messi leads the scoring race. Most important, he’s still in the race for another World Cup title.
“I hope you now realize, there is no easy opponent,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
