Defending champions Argentina survived an almighty scare to claim a breathless 3-2 extra-time victory over debutants Cape Verde on Saturday, booking their place in the World Cup Round of 16 after an epic battle that pushed the reigning kings to their absolute limit.The Blue Sharks, a small island nation off the coast of West Africa, played a script destined for folklore, refusing to buckle under the weight of the pro-Argentina crowd in South Florida. It took a ferocious 111th-minute own-goal to finally break their resistance as Cristian Romero’s lashing header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges into the net, sealing the pre-quarter-final ticket for La Albiceleste.Earlier, the peerless Lionel Messi set the stadium on fire in the 29th minute. Sprinting behind the defense, Messi latched on to a long pass from Lisandro Martínez, took a sublime first touch, and hammered a clinical finish into the roof of the net. The strike marked Messi’s record-extending 20th career World Cup goal, taking him to the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals in this tournament, ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.However, Cape Verde’s fairy-tale run, anchored by a heroic 10-save performance from 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, is far from over. Deroy Duarte surprised the holders with a good equalizer in regulation time. As extra-time began, Lisandro Martínez briefly restored Argentina’s lead in the 103rd minute, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to immediately respond with a stunning equalizer that left the stadium in complete disbelief.In the end, the strength of the championship brought Argentina to chaos, which was preserved by the late heroics of the goalkeeper to deny a desperate surge of Cape Verde in the last seconds.While the African debutants bowed out after a historic campaign that included shock group stage results against Spain and Uruguay, Argentina continued. The world champions now head to Atlanta on Tuesday for a high-stakes Round of 16 clash against Egypt, who advanced after beating Australia in a penalty shootout.