Argentina survives Cabo Verde scare to reach World Cup last 16

MIAMI, United States -- 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.