Defending champions Argentina survived an almighty scare to secure a breathtaking 3-2 extra-time victory over debutants Cape Verde on Saturday, booking their place in the World Cup’s Round of 16 after an epic battle that pushed the reigning kings to their absolute limits.The Blue Sharks, a tiny island nation off the coast of West Africa, played a script meant for folklore, refusing to buckle under the weight of the pro-Argentine crowd in South Florida. It took a cruel 111th-minute own-goal save to finally die out when Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges into the net, sealing a ticket to the quarter-finals for La Albiceleste.Earlier, it was the incomparable Lionel Messi who ignited the stadium in the 29th minute. Sprinting behind the defense, Messi latched on to a lofted pass from Lisandro MartÃnez, took a sublime first touch, and hammered a clinical finish into the roof of the net. The strike marked the 20th World Cup goal of Messi’s career, catapulting him to the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals at this tournament, ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé.Yet Cape Verde’s fairytale run, anchored by a heroic 10-save performance from 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, was far from over. Deroy Duarte stunned the hosts with a smart equalizer in regulation time. As extra time began, Lisandro MartÃnez briefly restored Argentina’s lead in the 103rd minute, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to respond almost immediately with a stunning equalizer that left the stadium in utter disbelief.Ultimately, the grain of the championship carried Argentina through the chaos, preserved by the goalkeeper’s late heroics to deny a desperate surge from Cape Verde in the final seconds.While the African debutants retire after a historic campaign that included stunning results in the group stage against Spain and Uruguay, Argentina march on. The world champions now head to Atlanta on Tuesday for a last-16 clash against Egypt, who advanced after beating Australia in a penalty shootout.