07/04/26 02:43:00
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07/04 02:38 CDT Lionel Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8
games and takes Golden Boot lead
Lionel Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8 games and takes
Golden Boot lead
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (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 Mbapp on the all-time
list. It was the opener of what became a wild night, with Argentina escaping
with a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in extra time against a huge underdog.
Messi was pictured later at his media conference with a large bump on his head
after apparently being hit with a knee during a collision with a Cape Verde
player.
"It hurts a little but I'm good," he was quoted in comments translated from
Spanish about the goose-egg over his right eye.
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 Mbapp 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 goal mouth 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."
The Golden Boot race may go down to the end as well, with the four leaders now
all safely into the Round of 16.
Messi and Mbapp are far from the only contenders in the Golden Boot race:
Norway's Erling Haaland and England's Harry Kane each had five goals entering
Friday, while four players --- France's Ousmane Dembele, Spain's Mikel
Oyarzabal, Brazil's Vincius Jnior and Senegal's Ismaila Sarr --- had four.
Sarr is out of the running since Senegal has been eliminated.
Norway, England and France have advanced to the Round of 16; Argentina and
Messi, the Inter Miami star who is widely considered the greatest player ever,
now join them --- barely.
"Our team did everything we could to win the game," Cape Verde goalie Vozinha
said.
Messi has never won the Golden Boot. He finished second with seven goals ---
one behind Mbapp --- while leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, and
he tied for third with four goals in 2014.
If there's a tie atop the goal list when the tournament ends, FIFA will use
assists as the first tiebreaker and fewest minutes played as the second
tiebreaker. Entering Friday, that meant Mbapp would have had the edge over
Messi based on his 2-0 lead in assists.
But for now, Messi leads the scoring race. Most important, he's still in the
race for another World Cup title.
"I hope you now realize, there is no easy opponent," Argentina coach Lionel
Scaloni said.
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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
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