Don't Miss

India's CWG 2026 Medal Tally Lowest In 24 Years, Yet Among The Best

Tactical Self-Destruction: How England Threw Away Their World Cup Final Dream

Bundesliga Blueprint: How Zee Plans To Complete India's Football Jigsaw

Manuel Neuer Doesn't Know Where To Stop: Not On The Pitch, Not In His Career

Advertisement

ENG

Login

Dark / Light mode

Oct 10,2026 04:59 AM IST

'Need To Correct Bad Things': Lionel Messi Makes Big Remark After Cape Verde Challenge

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

Settings

Select Language

Dark / Light mode

Search

FIFA World Cup 11 Jun 26 to 19 Jul 26

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Sports Home 2026 FIFA World Cup News Need To Correct Bad Things Lionel Messi Makes Big Remark After Cape Verde Challenge

Related Articles

Story ProgressBack to home

'Need To Correct Bad Things': Lionel Messi Makes Big Remark After Cape Verde Challenge

Argentina qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde but the win was not without its fair share of challenges.

Read Time: 2 min

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit

E-mail

Lionel Messi during Argentina's match against Cape Verde at FIFA World Cup 2026© AFP

Argentina qualified for FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde but the win was not without its fair share of challenges. Messi scored a goal and created another one but Cape Verde were able to equalise twice and take the heavily-contested clash to extra time. Argentina will now face Egypt in their next knockout clash. Following the win, Messi said that just qualification is not enough for the defending champions and pointed out that they need to correct some mistakes.

"Today, we put in a huge effort, as always, playing well and playing badly, just like we always say, but I think the important thing now is to rest, think about what's coming next and try to take positives from today's game. Beyond just qualifying, I think there are positives because we did some good things, and we also need to correct the bad ones, which I think were many today as well," Messi said after the match as quoted by ESPN.

"We knew it was going to be a very tough match; this team hadn't lost to Spain and Uruguay for a reason. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal. We thought that from then on, we would start to find our game and be more relaxed, but it was the complete opposite. We lost the ball, we sat back, we couldn't pressure them well, and they struck with their strengths," he added.

Messi also claimed that they were aware of the difficult that a team like Cape Verde can provide in such matches.

"We knew it was going to be difficult; this is a knockout tournament, and nobody gives you anything for free," Messi said.

Meanwhile, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni heaped praise on debutants Cape Verde after they pushed the defending champions all the way to extra time in the round of 32 thriller at the Miami Stadium.

The African side, with a population of just half a million, twice erased a deficit before an extra-time own goal settled a gripping contest at Miami Stadium. The result earned Argentina a round of 16 clash with Egypt in Atlanta on July 7.

"It was a really tough match. You always have to focus on the positives. This team never gives up. And I have to give credit to our opponents. Today Cape Verde proved they're a great team. The truth is, everyone finished really tired, because they gave it their all," Scaloni told the post-match news conference as quoted by Xinhua.

(With agency inputs)

Featured Video Of The Day

Neeraj Chopra Wins Silver, Yashvir Singh Bronze As India Seal Double Podium In CWG Javelin

Topics mentioned in this article

Lionel Messi Messi Argentina Argentina Cape Verde Cape Verde 2026 FIFA World Cup Football

Get the Latest Cricket, Asian Games 2026, Football , Hockey, Badminton Scores, F1 Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.

Advertisement

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Advertisement

Advertisement

Players - Top Goals

Player Matches Goals Mbappé Mbappé France 8 10 Messi Messi Argentina 8 8 Haaland Haaland Norway 5 7 Bellingham Bellingham England 8 7 Kane Kane England 7 6

Player Matches Assists Michael Olise Michael Olise France 8 7 Messi Messi Argentina 8 4 Odegaard Odegaard Norway 5 4 Mbappé Mbappé France 8 4 Brahim Brahim Morocco 6 4

No Teams MP Goals GA 1 England England 8 20 12 2 France France 8 20 10 3 Argentina Argentina 8 19 8 4 Spain Spain 8 14 1 5 Belgium Belgium 6 14 7

No Teams MP Goals Assists 1 France France 8 20 18 2 England England 8 20 14 3 Argentina Argentina 8 19 12 4 Spain Spain 8 14 10 5 Norway Norway 6 13 10

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Full Stats

Now Trending

Advertisement

Trending Links

Follow us on:

facebook

twitter

Cricket

Football

More Sports

Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2026. All rights reserved.