They Kick The Crap Out Of Me!” — Messi Reacts After Argentina’s Battle With Cape Verde

Argentina captain Lionel Messi has praised Cape Verde for pushing the reigning world champions to their limits in a thrilling FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash, joking that the same opponents who repeatedly fouled him during the match were eager to collect his jersey after the final whistle.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The defending champions survived a major scare to secure a dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory, with an own goal ultimately separating the two sides in one of the tournament’s most fiercely contested encounters.

Messi opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the tournament, giving Argentina an early lead. However, World Cup debutants Cape Verde responded with remarkable resilience, twice coming from behind to level the contest and threaten one of the biggest upsets of the competition.

After Lisandro Martínez restored Argentina’s advantage in the second half, Lopes Cabral struck a superb equaliser to force the game into extra time.

Argentina eventually sealed victory when Cape Verde defender Diney inadvertently turned a corner kick into his own net.

Reflecting on the intense contest, Messi joked about the physical nature of the match and the contrast between the fierce challenges he endured and the admiration shown by his opponents after the game.

“They all wanted my jersey and everything after the match, but during the game they kicked the crap out of me,” Messi said with a smile.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said he was not surprised by Cape Verde’s impressive performance, noting that the African side had already shown throughout the tournament that they could compete with elite opposition.

“This team has been proving its quality for a long time. They compete until the very end,” Messi said.

He also highlighted the importance of set-piece situations, saying they proved decisive in a tightly contested match.

“We’ve been working on our set pieces for some time because they can make the difference in games like this. We have players who are strong in the air, and fortunately we were able to take advantage of that. In a competition like the World Cup, those moments are extremely important,” he added.