MIAMI: Defending champions Argentina narrowly avoided one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history on Friday, surviving an absolute thriller against tournament debutants Cape Verde to secure their spot in the round of 16.

A cruel 111th-minute own goal by Diney Borges in extra time finally broke the hearts of the team ranked 59th in the world, sealing a breathless 3-2 victory for the holders in front of a stunned crowd of 64,478 in Miami.

The match initially seemed to follow the expected script.

Argentina controlled the early tempo and broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. Lisandro Martínez turned provider, setting up talisman Lionel Messi to fire the holders into a 1-0 lead—a scoreline they maintained into the halftime break.

However, Cape Verde, playing in their first-ever World Cup, refused to be intimidated by the footballing giants. Capitalizing on growing complacency from the champions, the Blue Sharks struck back just before the hour mark.

Following excellent work from Ryan Mendes, Deroy Duarte found the back of the net in the 59th minute, shocking the stadium and drawing the underdogs level at 1-1.

Despite fierce late pressure from Argentina, Cape Verde’s resolute defense held firm, forcing the match into a grueling 30 minutes of extra time.

The drama escalated immediately in the extra period.

Just two minutes in, Alexis Mac Allister picked out Lisandro Martínez, who capped an outstanding individual performance by scoring in the 92nd minute to put Argentina back in front.

Yet again, Cape Verde defied the odds. In the 103rd minute, Yannick Semedo turned creator, setting up Sidny Cabral to score a stunning equalizer, leveling the game at 2-2 and sending the Cape Verde bench into raptures.

With a penalty shootout looming, the decisive blow came with just nine minutes remaining in extra time.

Under intense pressure, a header from Argentina’s Cristian Romero took a wicked deflection off Cape Verde defender Diney Borges, resulting in an agonizing 111th-minute own goal.

While Cape Verde exits the tournament with their heads held incredibly high after push the world champions to the absolute brink, Argentina breathes a massive sigh of relief.

The holders now march on to the next round, where they are scheduled to face Egypt.