Messi believes Argentina didn't perform well enough in dominating their opponents.

Goals from Messi and Lisandro, along with an own goal forced by Romero, saw Argentina narrowly defeat Cape Verde 3-2 in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup. Messi stated that the team played a crucial role in set pieces, but lacked the necessary dominance over their opponents.

In the 29th minute, Lisandro delivered a long pass, and Messi received the ball and slotted it past Cape Verde goalkeeper Chivonia to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. In the 59th minute of the second half, Ryan Mendes crossed the ball, and Deroy Duarte slotted it home to level the score at 1-1 for Cape Verde.

In the 92nd minute of extra time, Messi took a corner kick, McAllister headed the ball across, and Lisandro received it, took a few steps, and then fired a powerful shot into the net, giving Argentina a 2-1 lead over Cape Verde. In the 103rd minute, Yannick Semedo passed the ball to Lopez Cabral, who curled a shot into the net from inside the penalty area, leveling the score at 2-2 for Cape Verde.

In the 111th minute, Messi took a corner kick, and Romero's header deflected off Dinhey Borges and into the net. Ultimately, Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2, advancing to the round of 16.

In an interview, Argentina captain Lionel Messi said, "This Argentine team has always been competitive and will fight until the very last moment. We played a crucial role in set pieces, which is something we haven't been able to demonstrate before."

“We have many players with excellent heading ability, such as Romero, Lisandro, McAllister and Nico Gonzalez, who are all very threatening in aerial duels. Whether in attack or defense, we must maintain a sufficient threat from set pieces. This is crucial in a competition like this, and this game proved that we did it very well.”

Messi also pointed out, "But we failed to press high enough, and the distance between the lines was too wide. The distance between the center-backs and the forwards was also too great, causing the overall formation to lose coordination. Because we couldn't effectively contain and pressure the opponents, they seemed to have an extra player in certain areas."

In addition, Manchester United defender Lisandro, who contributed a goal and an assist for Argentina, said, "We fought until the very last moment and never gave up. That's how it is in the knockout stage; you can't afford to relax at all. Both teams gave their all, but we deserved this victory, and I'm very happy and proud of this team."

"As a defender, my primary concern is always preventing the opponent from scoring. However, I am certainly very happy to have scored in this match. The opponent played a very good game, but Argentina will never give up."

Lisandro also said, "This team has a wonderful sense of cohesion, and that energy is constantly growing. Sometimes, we just have to go through difficulties and withstand pressure."

Image source: Internet