Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), known as the god of football, has extended his historic records in what may be his final World Cup appearance, though he was left relieved after his team narrowly avoided elimination.
Messi scored the opening goal in the 29th minute of the first half during the North and Central American World Cup Round of 32 match against Cape Verde, held at Miami Stadium in Florida, USA, today (July 4, KST).
With this, Messi recorded his 7th goal of the current tournament and his 20th career goal in the World Cup finals.
Having already become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history during this tournament, Messi was the first to reach the 20-goal milestone, extending his lead over second-place Kylian Mbappe (France, 18 goals) to two goals.
He also extended his record for the most World Cup appearances to 30 matches while continuing his scoring streak.
Furthermore, Messi has now scored in eight consecutive World Cup matches, a streak dating back to the Round of 16 against Australia in the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Messi already held the record for the most consecutive games with a goal in tournament history, having reached seven games during the third group stage match against Jordan, and he added to that record today.
Messi has also taken the sole lead in the tournament's scoring race, surpassing Mbappe (6 goals). However, his "Last Dance" nearly came to an end today due to a fierce pursuit by Cape Verde.
Cape Verde, making their first-ever World Cup appearance and having caused a stir by drawing with tournament favorites Spain in the group stage, equalized 1-1 in the 14th minute of the second half after Messi's opener, forcing the match into extra time.
Even after Argentina regained the lead early in the first half of extra time through a goal by Lisandro Martinez, Cape Verde fought back to level the score at 2-2 before the end of the first half of extra time.
If Christian Romero's header, following a corner kick by Messi in the 6th minute of the second half of extra time, had not deflected off the body of opposing defender Diney Borges into the net, Argentina would have faced a precarious situation where victory could not be guaranteed.
After the match, Messi met with reporters and said, "As always, we put in a tremendous effort today," adding, "There were times when things went well, and times when they did not."
He noted, "I think the most important thing now is to get some rest, plan for the next match, and find the positives from today's game," while also pointing out, "We need to correct what we did wrong, and there were quite a few of those things today."

Messi also expressed respect for his opponents, Cape Verde.
"I knew it would be a very tough match today," he said. "Cape Verde did not lose against Spain or Uruguay, and there is a reason for that."
Messi continued, "I thought that after scoring the opening goal, which was the most difficult task, we would be able to control the game easily, but the reality was the opposite," reflecting that "we lost the ball often, dropped back, and failed to apply proper pressure, while the opponent utilized their strengths to attack."
He emphasized, "In a single-elimination tournament, no one gives you a win for free. I knew it would never be easy, and that is the characteristic of this World Cup."
Argentina, led by Messi and aiming for a second consecutive title, will face Egypt in the Round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium in the United States on July 8.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)