The Argentina national football team, nicknamed la Albiceleste, represents Argentina in men’s international football and is administered by the Argentine Football Association, the governing body of football in Argentina. It has been a member of FIFA since 1912 and was a founding member of CONMEBOL in 1916. Argentina players have won the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball three times: Diego Maradona in 1986, and Lionel Messi in 2014 and 2022. Argentina | Visit FIFA.com to find the latest news, interviews, key stats, fixtures and results for the Argentina squad at FIFA World Cup 2026™. Argentina | Visit FIFA.com to find the latest news, interviews, key stats, fixtures and results for the Argentina squad at FIFA World Cup 2026™. Argentina fans created a vibrant atmosphere at Miami Beach as they gathered for a traditional “Banderazo” ahead of their team’s World Cup. Cape Verde will beat Argentina and Messi to send them home early and win the entire World Cup. It all starts with this result. The home of Argentina on BBC Sport online. Includes the latest news stories, results, fixtures, video and audio. Managed by Lionel Scaloni, the squad remains anchored by its legendary captain, Lionel Messi.

LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi had been waltzing about, searching for a way into Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal at the Lusail Stadium, when Croatian seas parted, and the moment arrived.

He had been stationary, one hand gnawing at his hamstring, prompting fears of an injury. He had been silent, almost as invisible as planet Earth’s greatest soccer player could possibly be. But then, over a rousing hour at the latter end of a rousing , Argentina roared. Messi, for once, didn’t create the breakthrough, but he punctuated after his teammates concocted it from nothing. And that, above all, was the story of Argentina’s surge into its sixth World Cup final. Messi converted a 34th-minute penalty that Julian Alvarez had won. Messi, who’d grown into his typically dazzling self, then bamboozled the best defender at the tournament, to seal an emphatic win. Croatia, until Tuesday, had been the team that wouldn’t lose, a group of checkered warriors who simply refused to concede. In six World Cup knockout matches since 2018, they’d gone behind seven times and failed to equalize only once, in the second half of the 2018 final. They never actually held a lead in regulation, not once in six games, but they fought, survived extra time and won five of them — four in penalty shootouts. They never wilted and always believed, and Argentina knew this. La Albiceleste lost to Croatia calamitously, 3-0, in 2018. Twelve years earlier, on the night Messi scored his first international goal to put Argentina up 2-1, the Croats rebounded to win with a stoppage-time winner.

“In this beautiful sport, even if you think you’ve sealed the game, you may get surprised again,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said ahead of Tuesday’s semifinal.

But then he added: ”I believe my team has the means, willingness, freshness and pride to face anything.”

And on Tuesday, for the umpteenth time, his team proved him right. They ascended into a first-half lead, and then, despite Croatia’s best efforts, just kept on ascending. They started calmly, perhaps timidly, and settled into a cagey game that suited Croatia. But it surged into life in the 32nd minute, when Alvarez ran onto a through-ball, squirted a weak shot past Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and clattered into Livakovic. Referee ​​Daniele Orsato pointed to the penalty spot. Enraged Croats surrounded him to no avail. And up stepped Messi.

Messi fired his penalty over Livakovic’s outstretched arm and rose onto yet another page of Argentina’s record books. His fifth goal of this tournament was the 11th of his World Cup career, the most of any Argentine ever.

This win, though, was as much about the 10 Argentines around him. They stifled Croatia, and five minutes after Messi’s penalty, they doubled the lead. Messi played a crucial part, poking the ball to Julian Alvarez and launching a counter. But Alvarez did the rest.

The 22-year-old forward picked the ball up in his own half and charged at the Croatian defense. A lung-bursting run from right back Nahuel Molina discombobulated the Croats, and knocked them back on their heels. Alvarez took advantage, running through a couple of weak challenges. And with the benefit of a couple of fortunate bounces, he incited the biggest eruption of noise all night. And its fans, who have turned Qatari stadium after Qatari stadium into a madhouse, kept singing, all the way through a final whistle that became a foregone conclusion. They kept belting the catchy tune that has become their World Cup soundtrack and which suddenly sounded prophetic.

“Muchaaaaachoooooosss,” they chorused, and then, over five short verses, on repeat, they told a story. It begins with decades of heartbreak since their two World Cup victories in 1978 and ‘86. It continues with “the finals that we lost,” including four at the Copa America since 1993, and “how many years I cried.”

“Pero eso se terminó,” they chanted, and the tone changed. But that ended. Last year, at the Maracanã, against the Brazilian in the Copa America final, “les volvo a ganar papá.” Daddy beat them again. And “boys, massachusetts, now we’re excited again,” they’ve bellowed again and again here in Qatar. They bellowed it at downtown plazas and outside Lusail. Now it’s on to Sunday’s final (10 a.m. ET, FOX/Telemundo). Time to keep singing.

“Quiero ganar la tercera, quiero ser campeón mundial,” the next line goes.

“I want to win the third. I want to be world champion.”

Team Overview

• Head Coach: Lionel Scaloni
• Team Captain: Lionel Messi
• Home Stadium: Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti (Buenos Aires)
• Governing Body: Argentine Football Association (AFA)

Argentina vs. Saudi Arabia: Prediction and Preview Argentina head into the World Cup with the aim of adding global glory to their Copa America crown, but head coach Lionel Scaloni is all too aware of the challenges awaiting his side in Qatar – starting with first opponents Saudi Arabia.

La Albiceleste ended a 28-year wait for major silverware by beating Brazil in the 2021 Copa America final, making this the first World Cup they enter as champions of their continent since the 1994 World Cup.

Unlike that tournament, where they exited at the hands of Romania in the last 16, Argentina will fancy themselves to go all the way this time around with a motivated group led by Lionel Messi in what is set to be his final World Cup.

Argentina begin their Group C campaign against Saudi Arabia at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, before facing Mexico and Poland, but Scaloni is not expecting an easy test against a side down in 51st in the latest FIFA rankings. “We know Saudi Arabia well,” he said. “They’re a very good team, a technically strong team with fast players. They will make things difficult for us.

“On top of that it is our first game of the World Cup, which is always difficult. But this is the World Cup and every game is difficult.

“We don’t have pressure because at the end this is football; we’re going to play a World Cup. We’re conscious what football represents for Argentina, but it’s sport and that’s why we have to step on the pitch and do our own thing.”

Argentina are one of three South American teams to have lifted the World Cup, alongside Brazil (five times) and Uruguay (twice), though not since 1986, in the days of Diego Maradona, have they got their hands on the trophy.

Indeed, the World Cup has provided far more painful memories than happy ones from an Argentinian perspective over the past three decades, even when factoring in their march to the final eight years ago, when they lost to Germany.

If anything other than going all the way will be considered a disappointment for Scaloni’s side, advancing from the group stage for only the second time will be the aim for Saudi Arabia in this, their sixth participation in the tournament.

Herve Renard’s charges booked their place in Qatar with 13 wins and only one defeat across their 18 qualifying matches, spread across two group stages, but the luck of the draw was not on their side for the finals. Renard has experience of defying the odds after guiding Zambia to the Africa Cup of Nations crown in 2012, before doing likewise with a more fancied Ivory Coast in 2015 to become the first man to win the tournament with different teams.

With this his second taste of the World Cup, having previously led Morocco in the 2018 edition, Renard is dreaming of another magical journey with Saudi Arabia.

“We have a tough set of matches, but as a coach or a player you dream of qualifying for the World Cup and pitting yourself against the best,” he said.

“The best teams in the world always come with the intention of winning it, but there are always upsets. When you are one of the smaller teams in the tournament, you must rely on shock results.” Messi has returned to something close to his best form in his second season with Paris Saint-Germain, the superstar forward having been directly involved in 26 goals in all competitions – a tally only Erling Haaland and team-mate Neymar can match among players from clubs competing in Europe’s top five leagues.

The 35-year-old has already stated he expects this to be his final World Cup and, having lifted some almighty weight off his shoulders with his part in last year’s Copa America triumph, he is now determined to become a world champion with his country. Messi failed to register a knockout-stage goal in his previous four World Cups, totalling 756 goalless minutes on the pitch, but he has netted six times in the group stage and will back himself to add to that tally in this opener.

Renard is without 17-goal Fahad Al Muwallad due to the winger failing a doping test earlier this year, but there are a number of other options to call upon in the final third.

Al-Shehri is among them, and the Al-Hilal striker will be looking to make his mark in Qatar after netting from all four of his shots on target in the AFC third-round qualifiers to finish joint-top of the scoring charts.

However, of the 11 goals Saudi Arabia have scored in the finals, four of those have come from the penalty spot – a higher proportion than any other side competing in Qatar.

Prediction

Argentina have lost three of their past five matches at the World Cup, as many as in their previous 24 combined (W16 D5), but they are strong favourites for this meeting with Saudi Arabia.

That is reflected in our supercomputer prediction model, which gives Argentina an 80.2% chance of victory, compared to just 6.9% for Saudi Arabia.

A draw is predicted at a 12.9% likelihood of happening as Renard’s men look to pull off what would be a shock result.

Active Core Roster

The standard national team setup consists of elite talent playing across major global leagues:

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Position Key Players

GoalkeepersEmiliano Martínez, Gerónimo Rulli, Juan Musso

DefendersCristian Romero, Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Nicolás Tagliafico

MidfieldersRodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández, Leandro Paredes, Giovani Lo Celso

ForwardsLionel Messi, Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez, Nico Paz, Thiago Almada

Argentina counts on Messi for Copa America clash against Paraguay

Argentina will be counting on its star player Lionel Messi one more time as it hopes to secure a spot in the Copa America knockout stages with a win against Paraguay on Monday.

Argentina tops Group A with Chile and will hope for an inspired Messi at the Mane Garrincha stadium in Brasilia as the 33-year-old football great seeks his first Copa America trophy with Argentina.

Argentina and Chile have four points, one more than third-place Paraguay which has a game in hand. Uruguay and Bolivia have zero points.

The top four teams in each group advance to the knockout stages.

“We will play match after match, but it is clear we have a great team and where we can go depends only on ourselves,” said Argentina defender Cristian Romero. Against Paraguay, Messi will be making his 147th appearance for Argentina, equaling the record of Javier Mascherano.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni might not be able to count on midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and winger Nicolas Gonzalez due to injuries with Exequiel Palacios and Angel Di Maria, respectively, as possible replacements.

Paraguay, which beat Bolivia 3-1 in its only match so far, has never beaten Argentina in 22 games in the South American championship.

Chile players punished for violating virus protocols

Players from Chile’s squad at Copa America violated the tournament’s coronavirus protocols after a “barber” visited the players’ hotel in the Brazilian city of Cuiaba.

The Chilean football federation issued a statement Sunday saying it “recognizes the violation of the health bubble of the squad participating at Copa America, with the unauthorized entry of a barber who, despite his negative PCR test, should not have made contact with the players.”

The Chilean federation did not give the number or names of players involved, but said they will be fined.

“We regret what brought us to this situation and we inform that all members of the squad tested negative for the virus on Saturday,” the federation said.

Chile coach Martin Lasarte told a news conference his players made “a serious mistake.”

“It was an error, a temerity, but that is over now,” Lasarte said, adding all players remain eligible for Chile’s next match against Uruguay. He did not say when the barber visited Chile’s team hotel.

The Chileans can secure a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament with a win Monday against Uruguay.

Current Team Focus

Argentina’s competitive cycle focuses on the CONMEBOL 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and marquee international events like the Finalissima, aiming to defend their global dominance with a balance of experienced veterans and emerging talents like Nico Paz. The Cape Verde men’s national football team represents Cape Verde in men’s international football, and is controlled by the Cape Verdean Football Federation. Nicknamed the Blue Sharks, the national team played its first match on 19 April 1978 against Guinea, a match they lost 0–1. Cape Verde plays the majority of its home matches at the Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde. The Cape Verde national football team (nicknamed the Tubarões Azuis / Blue Sharks) has made historic headlines by qualifying for the FIFA World. Cape Verde will beat Argentina and Messi to send them home early and win the entire World Cup. It all starts with this result.

Argentina vs. Cape Verde Highlights: Argentina Survives In Extra Time. Argentina has booked a spot in the round of 16, while ending the incredible journey of the World Cup debutants, Cape Verde.

Goals from Lionel Messi, Lisandro Martínez and finally, an own goal late sealed the victory for La Albiceleste. Cape Verde equalized twice, with goals from Deroy Duarte and Sidny Cabral Lopes (the latter you have to see to believe), but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the defending champions. 

Here are the top plays from Argentina vs. Cape Verde Final: Argentina Survives In Extra Time

We have just witnessed a classic.

Argentina has survived and advanced with a 3-2 victory over Cape Verde.

Goals from Lionel Messi, Lisandro Martínez and finally, an own goal late that sealed the victory for La Albiceleste.

Cape Verde equalized twice, with goals from Deroy Duarte and Sidny Cabral Lopes, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the defending champions. Cape Verde Comes Close Again Emi Martinez came up with a huge save for Argentina to keep them ahead against Cape Verde.

Argentina Scores Again

Argentina regained the lead for a third time this evening thanks to an own goal, which appeared to be headed in by Cristian Romero, but it ended up being deflected by a Cape Verde defender.

Cape Verde Equalizes Again

Sidny Lopes Cabral equalized for Cape Verde with an incredible goal from outside the box that went into a top corner, far beyond reach of Argentina’s Emi Martinez. While his goal was incredible, his celebration was worth watching as well.

Lopes Cabral sprinted toward the Cape Verde bench, then he kept running until he went up into the stands to continue celebrating. The No. 67 ranked team in FIFA’s ranking has the defending champions on the ropes.

Argentina Scores In Extra Time

Argentina wasted little time in extra time, regaining the lead thanks to a goal from Lisandro Martínez.

Lionel Messi sent his corner kick toward the area, which was headed by Nicolás Tagliafico before it got to Martínez just outside of the box. Martínez gathered himself with one dribble before letting off a left-footed shot that found the back of the net to make it 2-1.

Headed To Extra Time

After 90 minutes of action, Argentina and Cape Verde are tied 1-1 and this match will head to extra time.

Vozinha has stepped up for Cape Verde again as he’s racked up seven saves. Messi scored near the half-hour mark, but Argentina was unable to put this one away as Deroy Duarte scored the equalizer just before the hour mark.

There will be two 15-minute periods in extra time and if the match is still tied after that, we’ll head to a penalty kick shootout. Each team will receive one extra substitute and golden goal will not apply.

Vozinha Saves Another Messi Free Kick

Lionel Messi had another free kick opportunity at goal and once again Vozinha came up with a huge save to keep Cape Verde in the match. Regardless of the result, Vozinha has put up another memorable performance between the posts.

Clearance By Lopes

Argentina nearly took the lead, but Pico Lopes made a great goal line clearance to prevent Enzo Fernandez from a goal-scoring opportunity with an empty net.

Match Breakdown

• First Half: Lionel Messi broke the deadlock early, scoring in the 29th minute to put Argentina ahead 1–0.

Holders Argentina survive major scare against historic Cape Verde to advance to last 16

MIAMI: Defending champions Argentina narrowly avoided one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history on Friday, surviving an absolute thriller against tournament debutants Cape Verde to secure their spot in the round of 16.

A cruel 111th-minute own goal by Diney Borges in extra time finally broke the hearts of the team ranked 59th in the world, sealing a breathless 3-2 victory for the holders in front of a stunned crowd of 64,478 in Miami.

The match initially seemed to follow the expected script.

Argentina controlled the early tempo and broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. Lisandro Martínez turned provider, setting up talisman Lionel Messi to fire the holders into a 1-0 lead—a scoreline they maintained into the halftime break.

However, Cape Verde, playing in their first-ever World Cup, refused to be intimidated by the footballing giants. Capitalizing on growing complacency from the champions, the Blue Sharks struck back just before the hour mark.

Following excellent work from Ryan Mendes, Deroy Duarte found the back of the net in the 59th minute, shocking the stadium and drawing the underdogs level at 1-1.

Despite fierce late pressure from Argentina, Cape Verde’s resolute defense held firm, forcing the match into a grueling 30 minutes of extra time.

The drama escalated immediately in the extra period.

Just two minutes in, Alexis Mac Allister picked out Lisandro Martínez, who capped an outstanding individual performance by scoring in the 92nd minute to put Argentina back in front.

Yet again, Cape Verde defied the odds. In the 103rd minute, Yannick Semedo turned creator, setting up Sidny Cabral to score a stunning equalizer, leveling the game at 2-2 and sending the Cape Verde bench into raptures.

With a penalty shootout looming, the decisive blow came with just nine minutes remaining in extra time.

Under intense pressure, a header from Argentina’s Cristian Romero took a wicked deflection off Cape Verde defender Diney Borges, resulting in an agonizing 111th-minute own goal.

While Cape Verde exits the tournament with their heads held incredibly high after push the world champions to the absolute brink, Argentina breathes a massive sigh of relief.

The holders now march on to the next round, where they are scheduled to face Egypt.

Second Half: Cabo Verde fought back fiercely, with Deroy Duarte finding the equaliser in the 59th minute to draw level at 1–1 and force the match into extra time. Messi scores, Argentina vs. Cape Verde match goes to extra time. The match between world champion Argentina and Cape Verde in the Round of 32 went to extra time after a 1-1 draw at the end of 90 minutes. Leo Messi put Argentina ahead, but Droy Duarte equalized in the second half and sent the contest to 30 additional minutes. The winner will face Egypt in the next round.

Extra Time Drama:

• Lisandro Martínez put Argentina back in front in the 92nd minute (2–1).
• Cabo Verde responded again as Sidny Lopes Cabral equalised in the 103rd minute (2–2).
• The decisive blow came in the 111th minute via an unfortunate own goal by Cabo Verde defender Diney, sealing a 3–2 victory for Argentina.

Messi, Argentina beat Cape Verde in extra time World Cup thriller, advance to Round of 16

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. His Argentina teammates did the same.

A thrilling, unforgettable World Cup match with underdog Cape Verde was over — and the defending champions survived after being pushed to the brink. Cape Verde equalized in regulation and again in extra time, but the Blue Sharks could not respond to Argentina’s third goal, and La Albiceleste advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-2 victory on Friday.

Even in defeat, the performance by Cape Verde — a tiny island nation off the western coast of Africa — will stand as one of the most remarkable stories of this, or any, World Cup.

“I have to give credit to our opponents,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “The truth is, when people say there’s no such thing as an easy opponent, today (Cape Verde) proved they’re a great team.”

The go-ahead score for Argentina was credited as an own-goal after Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges in the 111th minute. Messi scored early in regulation, his record-extending 20th career World Cup goal. Lisandro Martinez scored in the 92nd to put Argentina ahead 2-1.

Sidny Lopes Cabral and Deroy Duarte scored for Cape Verde — both equalizers that stunned the pro-Argentina crowd in South Florida. Cabral’s goal — a curling, right-footed strike past goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in the 103rd minute — made an already wild game even more incredible, tying it at 2-all and raising the possibility of Messi facing standout Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha in a penalty shootout.

Argentina pushed back in front eight minutes later, held on from there and advanced to face Egypt — which beat Australia in a shootout earlier Friday — in Atlanta on Tuesday.

“As this team has demonstrated many times, and as I’ve said many times, it competes,” Messi said in Spanish. “And we competed to the end.”

Cape Verde’s memorable World Cup debut had been a stunning run that few outside the country of 525,000 could have predicted. Behind the stellar play of the 40-year-old Vozinha, Cape Verde became the smallest country to reach the knockout round, securing surprising draws against former champions Spain and Uruguay and another against Saudi Arabia.

Vozinha had 10 saves against Argentina, including five against Messi.

“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said. “More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity.”

Messi added another brilliant goal to his resume, sneaking behind the Cape Verde defense on a well-timed run as Martinez lofted a pass toward him, taking a quick touch and hammering a finish into the roof of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.

The Argentina captain has seven goals in this tournament — one more France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race as the top scorer in this year’s World Cup — and extended his World cup record, moving two goals ahead of Mbappé on the career list. He has 12 goals during his record eight-match scoring streak.

Messi had the game’s first chance that he sent skidding across the goal mouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Vozinha, who came up with a marvelous save nearly every time his team needed one.

“We came so close, we pushed them right to the end,” Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes said. “But in the end, it wasn’t to be. Disappointed … but I think we showed great character today, a great quality to get back into the game twice. They’re the world champions for a reason.”

Bubista and players remained on the pitch well after the final whistle. Some sat with their heads nestled in their chests. Other shared tearful embraces before waving to their small crowd of supporters, reality sinking in at the end of a ride that almost no one outside of their fearless island could have predicted.

“We showed that we may be a small country,” Bubista said, “but we can play against some of the best teams in the world.”

Key Team Statistics

Statistic	Argentina	Cabo Verde
Possession	64%	36%
Shots (On Target)	21 (10)	15 (5)
Passing Accuracy	92%	87%
Corners	8	8
Fouls Committed	13	12

Argentina Player Ratings vs. Cabo Verde: Unlikely Heroes Help Messi Avoid Humiliation defending champion was unimpressive and needed extra time to defeat an honorable Cabo Verde.

Cabo Verde pushed the reigning champion to the absolute limit but Argentina survived to advance to the round of 16 with a 3–2 victory in extra time on Friday. Early into the opening 15 minutes of extra time Alexis Mac Allister flicked a header from a corner and it landed perfectly into the path of Lisandro Martínez, who settled himself an fired a rocket past Vozinha. The goal appeared to finally win the game for Argentina, but there was another twist in the cards. Before the end of the first extra time period, Sidny Lopes Cabral cut inside from the left and proceeded to curl a shot into the bottom corner to once again bring Cabo Verde level with arguably the best goal of the 2026 World Cup so far.

La Albiceleste needed to dig deep but finally, it was the other center back, Cristian Romero, who won in the air from yet another corner, and headed Messi’s cross into the back of the net to restore Argentina’s advantage, one it wouldn’t relinquish again. Cabo Verde didn’t go away quietly and backed the champion into a corner late, yet Argentina found a way to survive. It’s a heartbreaking end to Cabo Verde’s brilliant World Cup campaign, exiting the competition with a heroic performance. On the other hand, Argentina has plenty of work to do, because significant improvement is needed if it wants to repeat as champion.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

RB: Nahuel Molina—6.3: Jovane Cabral gave him some problems initially but he settled as the minutes ticked on. Still, it wasn’t the most confident showing from the Atlético Madrid man.

CB: Cristian Romero—7.5: Overcame some fitness issues and was characteristically stout at the heart of Argentina’s backline. Came up clutch when he won in the air to finally send Argentina to the last 16.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—8.7: Continued his strong World Cup with another dominant defensive showing. A beautifully floated pass right into the path of Messi saw him register his first ever tournament assist. He then scored a brilliant goal to crown his performance.

LB: Facundo Medina—7.3: Covered acres of space down the left, supplying width going forward that allowed Almada to combine centrally while also handling his defensive business with ease. His tremendous efforts took a toll and he had to exit the pitch with what looked like a muscular issue.

RM: Rodrigo De Paul—7.0: Improved once Cabo Verde leveled the scoring, but he was nowhere to be found before that.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—8.2: A rather anonymous showing from Mac Allister, mostly settling for the easy, sideways pass instead of trying to progress the ball up the pitch. The type of showing Liverpool fans grew tired of in 2025–26. Improved late but it was mostly his effort that stood out.

CM: Enzo Fernández—7.8: Much like the rest of Argentina’s midfielders, he lacked incisiveness in possession and intensity off the ball. He was passive and mostly ineffective. Like Mac Allister, improved in a state of urgency.

LM: Thiago Almada—6.9: Although he continues to be one of the players that better understands how to link up with Messi, he was much less influential than during his group stage appearances.

ST: Lionel Messi—8.7: What is there to say that hasn’t been said already? Argentina found daylight thanks to his simply ridiculous strike. He then looked like the only player capable of guiding Argentina to the promise land and he ended up assisting the winner.

ST: Lautaro Martínez—6.2: His work rate remains critical to compensate for Messi, but he barely touched the ball. Slid a pass to Messi that should’ve resulted in Argentina’s second with the final touch of his cameo.

SUB: Nicolás González (63’ for Almada)—7.2: His introduction instantly added a threat down the wing Argentina previously lacked.

SUB: Julián Alvarez (63’ for Martínez)—6.6: Failed to make an impact during his cameo. It’s clear he’s not fully fit.

SUB: Leandro Paredes (84’ for De Paul)—6.6: Balanced Argentina during the chaos that was extra time. Never afraid to stick his foot into a challenge to win the ball back.

SUB: Nicolás Tagliafico (86’ for Medina)—6.9: Did well, the danger Cabo Verde produced mostly came from the other wing.

SUB: Gonzalo Montiel (104’ for Molina)—5.9: Didn’t enter the game with the intensity required. Got booked when he committed a dangerous foul.

Subs not used: Gerónimo Rulli (GK), Juan Musso (GK), Marcos Senesi, Nicolás Otamendi, Exequiel Palacios, Giovani Lo Celso, Guiliano Simeone, Nico Paz, Valentín Barco, José Manuel López.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• Lisandro Martínez played a secondary role for Argentina in Qatar 2022, four years later, he’s been arguably the team’s best player not named Lionel Messi. “The Butcher” was been rock-solid defensively, but his quality on the ball has been outstanding all summer. While Cristian Romero deals with injuries, Martínez has stepped up as La Albiceleste’s defensive leader.
• Both Lautaro Martínez and Julián Alvarez have been major disappointments so far, with neither world class striker truly contributing to Argentina’s cause when it matters. They haven’t helped Messi shoulder some of the attacking responsibilities.
• Similarly, the right side of defense could very well become Argentina’s Achilles heel. Both Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel have struggled so far in the tournament, and talented wingers must be salivating at the prospect of facing Argentina’s underwhelming right backs.

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The Numbers That Explain Argentina’s Giant Scare

• Despite beating Cabo Verde in xG 2.16 to 0.45, Argentina spent the last few minuted begging for the end of the game.
• La Albiceleste missed two of the three big chances it created.
• Lopes Cabral’s absolute screamer in extra time had an xG of just 0.03.
• Although Argentina won the possession battle with 64%, Cabo Verde didn’t gift possession away, always trying to make something happen when it had the ball, evidenced by an 86% accuracy in its passes.

Statistic	Argentina	Cabo Verde
Possession	64%	36%
xG	2.16	0.45
Total Shots	22	16
Shots on Target	10	5
Big Chances	3	0
Pass Accuracy	92%	86%
Fouls	13	12
Corners	8	8