Vozinha's eight saves stun Argentina but Cape Verde fall 3-2 in extra time

Cape Verde came within touching distance of the greatest comeback in men’s World Cup history before Argentina edged through 3-2 in extra time at Miami Stadium on Friday, with Cristian Romero’s 111th-minute winner ending a breathtaking round-of-32 contest that will be remembered largely for the heroics of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha.

Lionel Messi broke the deadlock in the 29th minute with a record-extending 20th World Cup goal, but Deroy Duarte — scoring his first international goal — levelled for the Blue Sharks with a close-range finish that Emiliano Martínez could not keep out. From that moment, Vozinha took centre stage.

The veteran goalkeeper denied Messi a second goal in the 63rd minute with a sharp stop on a darting run, then blocked a free-kick from just outside the box in the 72nd. His most dramatic intervention came in the fifth minute of stoppage time, when Messi — set up by another free-kick in a position he has converted countless times — found the target only for Vozinha to get a hand to it and force extra time.

Argentina struck first in the additional period, but Cape Verde refused to fold. Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a stunning equaliser to make it 2-2 and send the lowest-ranked remaining team in the tournament surging forward again. Romero eventually settled it in the 111th minute, giving La Albiceleste the win and ending Cape Verde’s run.

Vozinha finished the match with eight saves in regulation alone. He had already recorded seven saves in a goalless group-stage draw against Spain, and he leaves the 2026 World Cup with a tournament-high 25 saves — a figure that tells its own story about what the third-smallest country ever to compete at a World Cup managed to produce on the biggest stage in football.