Argentina escaped with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Cape Verde in their World Cup last-32 showdown on Friday in Miami, with the decisive moment coming in the 111th minute when an own goal sealed the win for the reigning champions.
Lionel Messi got Argentina on the board first, finishing off a long ball played in behind the defense by Lisandro Martinez to open the scoring.
Cape Verde fought back and drew level in the 59th minute when Deroy Duarte fired a low shot to equalize, pushing the match into extra time.
Martinez then put Argentina back in front at 2-1, heading home from a corner kick during the first half of extra time.
Cape Verde refused to quit, however, as Sidny Cabral produced a stunning curling strike from outside the penalty area in the 103rd minute to level the score once again at 2-2.
The winner finally came in the 111th minute when Cristian Romero met a Messi corner with a header that deflected off Diney Borges and into the net, going down as an own goal and sending Argentina through to the next round.
Argentina will now face Egypt in the round of 16.
