Story by
Lionel Messi reveals what makes Argentina special amid win over Cape Verde in World Cup
- Story by
- Lionel Messi reveals what makes Argentina special amid win over Cape Verde in World Cup
Lionel Messi reveals what makes Argentina special amid win over Cape Verde in World Cup appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Lionel Messi had immense praise about the Argentina national team following their 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the Round of 32 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday night.
Advertisement
Messi is likely going through the sixth and last World Cup of his international career. He already earned his first World Cup title in 2022, hoping to cap off his career with one more title.
Argentina had a notable test against Cape Verde, needing extra time to tame the underdogs. Messi reflected on the victory after the game, praising the squad's perseverance through adversity.
"We're not just a group of individually outstanding players; we are a cohesive team. And this is what this national team has been proving for a long time. And as I've said time and again, this group fights and competes until the very last moment. Today, set pieces played a very important role. We had scored from them in previous matches as well, and in matchups like these, they are decisive," Messi said.
"We have players who excel in aerial play, and not just Cuti Romero or Lisandro Martínez or Nico González or Alexis Mac Allister . In fact, we have many players who dominate high balls, and today we succeeded in capitalizing on that, and it will be important to maintain our strength in this aspect. We've been working on set pieces for a long time, both offensively and defensively, regardless of whether we score from them or not. And in a tournament like the World Cup, this aspect is of utmost importance, and today's match proved that."
What's next for Lionel Messi , Argentina after beating Cape Verde
Lionel Messi and Argentina are fortunate to have escaped with a thrilling victory over Cape Verde in Miami. However, they have to deal with fatigue for the time being after going through a hard-fought 120 minutes against the African underdogs.
Advertisement
Messi has seven goals and counting in the 2026 tournament, already claiming the top spot in all-time goals scored. He looks to rack up more scores before his time in the global tournament comes to an end.
Argentina will look forward to its World Cup journey during the Round of 16. They take on Egypt as kickoff for that game commences on July 7 at 12 p.m. ET.
Related: Lionel Messi sends urgent warning about Argentina's 'bad' blunders vs. Cape Verde
