Lionel Messi maintained his incredible scoring form in the FIFA World Cup on Saturday, scoring in an unprecedented eighth consecutive match as Argentina narrowly defeated a resilient, debuting Cape Verde side in a thrilling Round of 32 clash in Miami. The Argentine captain opened the scoring in the 29th minute, marking the 20th World Cup goal of his legendary career. This goal reinforced his status as the all-time top scorer in tournament history, moving him two goals ahead of French star Kylian Mbappé.
Early goal set momentum
Messi’s clinical early goal set the pace for an intense battle that ultimately pushed into extra time. The reigning champions, Argentina, overcame a significant scare to secure a demanding 3-2 win. With this victory, Argentina brought an end to Cape Verde’s dream World Cup run, though they were pushed to their absolute limits in the process. The 39-year-old maestro has now accumulated seven goals in the current World Cup edition, putting him one goal clear of Mbappé in the pursuit of the Golden Boot. His most recent strike brings his sensational total to 12 goals across the last eight World Cup fixtures for Argentina.
Every Record Broken by Messi Against Cape Verde
On Saturday, the Argentine icon became the premier player in the history of the FIFA World Cup, spanning both the men’s and women’s games, to achieve 20 career goals in the tournament. Additionally, he stands as the first player in football history to net a minimum of seven goals in two separate World Cup tournaments, having hit that exact milestone previously in 2022.
Furthermore, Messi now accumulates 12 direct goal contributions in World Cup knockout fixtures, consisting of six goals and six assists. This stands as the highest total recorded in the last sixty years, allowing him to surpass both Pelé and Mbappé.
He has also been actively involved in 10 goals over the course of his last six knockout outings, delivering six goals and four assists while scoring in all of his past five knockout games. Consequently, he becomes just the third player ever to score in five back-to-back World Cup knockout matches, joining the ranks of Hungary’s György Sárosi and Brazil’s Vavá.
At the age of 39 years and nine days, Messi established himself on Saturday as the third-oldest player to score within a World Cup knockout tie, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazil’s Pepe.
As it stands, Messi is currently just one goal away from matching Guillermo Stábile’s Argentine record of eight goals in a single World Cup, which was established in 1930. He requires two additional goals to equal Ademir’s South American men’s record of nine goals in a single tournament, achieved for Brazil in 1950.
Following their hard-fought victory against Cape Verde, Argentina has successfully progressed to the Round of 16, where their next opponents will be Egypt.
Bureau Report
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