Argentina Survive Cape Verde Scare to March On in Miami Thriller
· 3 min read
It was the kind of match that World Cups are made for. Argentina, the defending champions, were pushed to the very limit by a Cape Verde side that refused to read the script, and for long stretches in Miami it looked as though one of the tournament's great upsets was genuinely on the cards.
The final score of 3-2 tells its own story. Argentina had to score three times to get past a Cape Verde team that matched them for intensity and belief, and the Blue Sharks will leave this tournament with enormous credit, even if the result ultimately broke their hearts.
For Argentina, the relief will be significant. A squad of this quality expects to win, but winning ugly against a side ranked far below them on paper is a reminder that the World Cup has a way of humbling even the very best. They advance, but questions will follow them into the knockout rounds.
Cape Verde, for their part, showed the watching world exactly why African football continues to grow as a force at the highest level. Their campaign may be over, but performances like this one linger in the memory long after the final whistle.