Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8 games

Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his side's opening goal against Cape Verde during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., July 4 (AP): Lionel Messi's goal-scoring streak lived on, and he made it look easy.

His hopes of a second consecutive World Cup title also lived on - and that accomplishment was anything but easy.

Messi’s goal in the 29th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his record and moving him two ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé on the all-time list. It was the opener of what became a wild night, with Argentina escaping with a 3-2 win in extra time against a huge underdog.

Messi - who now has goals in a record eight consecutive World Cup games going back to Argentina's run to the 2022 title - seemed relieved after the match and lauded Cape Verde’s defense for giving his club fits.

"We did good things,” Messi said in his native Spanish, "and we have to correct the bad things.”

Messi has seven goals in this World Cup - one more than Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament - and has scored 12 times during his eight-game World Cup streak. He has been great, and Argentina has needed him to be great.

"For me, it represents a lot to be friends with him,” said Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate with Argentina and Inter Miami. "For me, friendship is one of the most important things that we all have, and I consider myself fortunate to be there, to share these moments with him.”

And there has been no shortage of moments.

Messi had the game's first good chance Friday, his all-world left foot sending a shot skidding across the goalmouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

But the momentum was shifting, and before long, Messi broke through for a 1-0 lead. He timed his run perfectly on a ball played into the box by defender Lisandro Martinez to stay onside, controlled the pass, and then lifted a shot over Vozinha's left shoulder from close range for his 124th international goal. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has more.

Messi stretched his arms and pointed to Martinez, saluting the pass, before teammates mobbed him in celebration.

Argentina was a huge favorite - some sportsbooks had the defending champions at minus-3500 to win, meaning bettors would have to wager $3,500 to profit $100 - and the Messi goal probably had some thinking the scoring dam was about to break.

It wasn't.

Cape Verde scored to knot the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and Messi set up the eventual winner with a corner kick that bounced off some heads and into the net midway through the second half of extra time.

"As this team has demonstrated many times, and as I’ve said many times, it competes,” Messi said. "And we competed to the end.”