Messi extends World Cup scoring record past Cape Verde

Lionel Messi and Argentina came within a whisker of a genuine World Cup upset against Cape Verde, needing extra time to get past them 3-2 in the Round of 32. Cape Verde, playing in their first-ever World Cup, matched Argentina for long stretches and twice came back to level the score, only for Argentina to eventually find a way through once the game went to extra time.

Messi got the goal that mattered and, in doing so, took his career World Cup tally to 20 — now just one behind Kylian Mbappé, who closed the gap himself with a brace in France's group game against Sweden. The two of them chasing the tournament's all-time scoring record has quietly become one of the more interesting subplots of this World Cup, and every round either of them survives keeps that race alive.

For Cape Verde, there's no shame in how this one went. A team from a nation of roughly half a million people took the reigning champions to extra time and were unlucky not to force penalties, and it's the kind of run that will be remembered back home for a long time regardless of how the rest of the tournament goes for Argentina.

Argentina now move on to face Egypt in the Round of 16 on July 7. It's a game that looked like it would be routine when the draw was made, but Egypt's own run to this stage — including a penalty shootout win over Australia — means it's no longer the formality it might once have seemed. If Argentina want to go all the way again, they'll likely need a cleaner, more controlled performance than the one they just produced.