Lisandro Martínez scores and assists as Argentina survives Cape Verde scare at 2026 World Cup

Argentina came to the 2026 FIFA World Cup as defending champions. They nearly left Miami in the Round of 32.

A 3-2 extra-time victory over debutant Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium on July 3 was not the clean, dominant performance anyone expected from La Albiceleste. But it was Lisandro Martínez who pulled Argentina back from the edge, scoring the go-ahead goal in the 93rd minute of extra time to send the reigning champions into the Round of 16.

What Martínez actually did

Early in the match, Martínez found Messi with a 42.5-meter diagonal pass. Messi did the rest, converting to open the scoring.

That assist was Martínez’s first at the international level across 31 caps. Then came the goal. With Argentina and Cape Verde level and extra time ticking into its final minutes, Martínez found the net in the 93rd minute to give his side a lead they would not relinquish. It was his second international goal and his first at a World Cup.

Martínez became the first Argentine defender to record both a goal and an assist in a single World Cup match since 1966.

The bigger story: Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the limit

Cape Verde were making their World Cup debut, a small island nation of roughly 500,000 people competing on the sport’s biggest stage for the first time. They mounted a late comeback that forced extra time, twice finding a way back into a match Argentina seemed to have in hand. The final scoreline, 3-2 after extra time, tells the story of a contest that went far deeper than a seeding differential would suggest.

Argentina now faces Egypt in the Round of 16.

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