Lionel Messi added three landmarks to his World Cup record as Argentina defeated Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in the round of 32 at Miami Gardens, Florida. The Argentina captain scored his 20th tournament goal, extended his scoring run to eight consecutive World Cup appearances and played his 30th World Cup match.

Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute. Lisandro Martinez delivered the ball into the penalty area, where Messi controlled it before lifting his finish beyond goalkeeper Vozinha. The goal was also his 124th for Argentina; among men's international players, only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, on 146, had more at that point.

Cape Verde twice recovered from a deficit, taking the defending champions into extra time. The deciding moment came in the 111th minute, when a corner from Messi passed through a sequence of aerial challenges and resulted in an own goal by Diney Borges. The narrow victory moved Argentina into the round of 16 for a meeting with Egypt.

The appearance total reinforced Messi's lead in the men's World Cup record book. Cristiano Ronaldo was second with 26, while Kristine Lilly made 30 appearances in the Women's World Cup. Messi's latest goal made him the first player, man or woman, to reach 20 career World Cup goals, according to ESPN's statistical account. France's Kylian Mbappé stood second on 18.

The streak began during Argentina's successful 2022 campaign and reached eight matches against Cape Verde. Messi had scored 12 times during that run. His seven goals in the 2026 tournament placed him one ahead of Mbappé in the Golden Boot race after the round-of-32 match. It was also the second World Cup in which Messi had scored at least seven times.

The match added to his knockout-stage record as well. He reached 12 combined goals and assists in World Cup knockout games — six of each — the highest recorded total over the previous 60 years. Martinez's pass for the opener was his first assist for Argentina, and ESPN measured it at 42.5 metres.

The night was physically demanding as well as historic. Messi appeared at his post-match media conference with swelling above his right eye after a collision, but said he was all right despite some pain. He also credited Cape Verde's defensive effort and acknowledged that Argentina had aspects of its performance to correct.

For Argentina, the records mattered alongside survival. A heavily favoured defending champion was pushed through 120 minutes by a tournament debutant before securing its place in the next round, keeping alive Messi's pursuit of another title and his first World Cup Golden Boot.