MIAMI, United States, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Lionel Messi scored his 20th World Cup goal as Argentina reached the World Cup round of 16 with a dramatic 3-2 win over Cabo Verde after extra time on Friday.
The reigning champion took the lead through Messi's early strike at Miami Stadium before Deroy Duarte equalized just before the hour.
Lisandro Martinez regained Argentina's advantage with a powerful shot from a tight angle early in extra time, but Sidny Lopes Cabral's curling effort restored parity 11 minutes later.
The game took another turn when Diney Borges deflected the ball into his own net after a corner, bringing to an end Cabo Verde's brave World Cup run.
Cabo Verde, a nation of just over 500,000 people, had already made history on its World Cup debut by becoming the smallest country to reach the knockout stage.
Its 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who had excelled in the group stage, again proved difficult to beat with 10 saves, several of them from Messi.
The Argentina captain's seventh goal of the tournament moved him one clear of France's Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race. Messi also leads the World Cup's all-time scoring list, two goals ahead of Mbappe.
Argentina's reward is a round-of-16 meeting with Egypt in Atlanta on July 7.
The three-time World Cup champion controlled possession from kickoff but found few openings in attack against a Cabo Verde side that stayed compact and composed.
The African side did not simply sit back, pressing when opportunities arose and moving the ball forward confidently whenever space appeared.
Jovane Cabral and Steven Moreira provided width on the counterattack, while Kevin Pina repeatedly disrupted Argentina's passing through midfield.
Messi produced the first clear opportunity after 16 minutes, gliding across the edge of the penalty area before dragging a low shot narrowly wide.
Cabral's clumsy challenge gave the Argentina captain a free kick in a dangerous position, but Vozinha read the effort well to keep his side level. The goalkeeper was again on hand shortly after to palm away Enzo Fernandez's long-range attempt.
The breakthrough arrived in the 29th minute through another moment of quality from Messi. The 39-year-old controlled a long pass from Lisandro Martinez with the outside of his left boot before firing a shot into the roof of the net.
The South American team then reduced the tempo, circulating possession with greater control and authority. Despite conceding most of the possession, Cabo Verde looked capable of causing problems on the break without seriously threatening Emiliano Martinez's goal.
That changed in the 59th minute when Ryan Mendes' pass found Duarte, who took a touch before beating Emiliano Martinez from a tight angle.
Argentina responded with urgency as Vozinha twice denied Messi, first by racing off his line to thwart the forward in a one-on-one and then by lunging to turn away a free kick just before the hydration break.
The Albiceleste pressed relentlessly, but Cabo Verde resisted with disciplined defending. Vozinha kept out attempts from Leandro Paredes and Messi during eight minutes of stoppage time as the Blue Sharks held out and forced the match into an additional half hour.
Only two minutes into the extra time, Lisandro Martinez restored Argentina's lead, hammering the ball into the roof of the net after a corner was only partially cleared.
Vozinha then produced another outstanding save to keep Messi at bay before Lopes Cabral curled a superb finish beyond Emiliano Martinez to level the match once again.
Argentina went ahead for a third time in the 111th minute when Cristian Romero met Messi's corner with a header that deflected off Borges before finding the net.
Cabo Verde threatened another response as Emiliano Martinez denied Lopes Cabral, but Lionel Scaloni's side survived late pressure to reach the next round. ■
