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Cristian Romero saves Argentina’s World Cup campaign with a clutch goal off Lionel Messi corner
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- Cristian Romero saves Argentina’s World Cup campaign with a clutch goal off Lionel Messi corner
Cristian Romero saves Argentina's World Cup campaign with a clutch goal off Lionel Messi corner appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Argentina needed a hero in a chaotic Round of 32 thriller , and Cristian Romero delivered when it mattered most. The defending champions survived a massive scare from Cape Verde on Friday, winning 3-2 after extra time in Miami. The decisive moment came in the 111th minute, when Romero rose highest to meet a Lionel Messi corner and forced the ball over the line to put Argentina back in front for good.
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The goal was ultimately recorded as an own goal off Cape Verde's Diney Borges , whose challenge deflected Romero's header in. Either way, it was Romero's leap and Messi's delivery that broke Cape Verde's resistance .
The finish capped a night of wild swings. Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a trademark left-footed finish, his 20th career World Cup goal and his seventh of this tournament, moving him clear of Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race. It also extended his remarkable run to a goal in eight straight World Cup matches .
Cape Verde refused to fold. Deroy Duarte leveled the match in the 59th minute, forcing extra time after goalkeeper Vozinha kept out a string of Argentina chances, including a Messi free kick. The 40-year-old goalkeeper has become an unlikely star of the tournament for the debutants.
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The drama only intensified from there. Lisandro Martinez rifled home another Messi corner to make it 2-1, before Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a stunning curling equalizer in the 103rd minute to stun the champions again.
That set the stage for Romero. Messi swung in the corner, Romero climbed above his marker, and Argentina finally put the tie to bed.
The debutants came within moments of what would have been one of the greatest upsets in tournament history, given Argentina's No. 1 ranking against 67th-ranked Cape Verde. In the end, the champions found a way, as they so often do.
Argentina now advances to a Round of 16 meeting with Egypt , with Messi and company still chasing back-to-back World Cup titles.
Related: Lionel Messi sends urgent warning about Argentina's 'bad' blunders vs. Cape Verde
