Lionel Messi opened the scoring, but Cape Verde twice fought back to force extra time before Romero’s decisive goal ended one of the tournament’s biggest scares.
Argentina controlled possession from the start but struggled to break down Cape Verde’s disciplined defense in the sweltering 32-degree heat in Miami.
Cape Verde nearly stunned the favorites early on when Ryan Mendes broke into the penalty area, but his shot was comfortably gathered by Emiliano Martinez. Messi also had an early chance from a tight angle before testing goalkeeper Vozinha with a free kick.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 29th minute. Lisandro Martinez split the defense with a long pass, allowing Messi to control with the outside of his boot before finishing emphatically into the roof of the net for his seventh goal of the tournament, moving one clear of Kylian Mbappe in the scoring charts.
Argentina created several more chances before halftime, but veteran goalkeeper Vozinha continued to frustrate them with a series of saves.
Cape Verde emerged with greater confidence after the break and gradually gained control.
Their persistence paid off in the 59th minute when Ryan Mendes delivered a low cross that evaded an Argentine defender before Deroy Duarte fired home from a tight angle to level the match at 1-1.
The equalizer lifted Cape Verde, while Vozinha continued his outstanding performance by denying Messi in a one-on-one situation and later saving another dangerous free kick from the Argentine captain.
Argentina thought they had restored the lead when Messi found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
The defending champions increased the pressure in the closing stages, yet Cape Verde’s defense held firm. Messi earned another dangerous free kick deep into stoppage time, but Vozinha produced another impressive save to send the match into extra time.
Argentina regained the advantage almost immediately after extra time began.
In the 92nd minute, Lisandro Martinez met a cross unmarked and blasted an unstoppable finish past Vozinha to make it 2-1.
Cape Verde refused to surrender.
Sidny Lopes Cabral produced one of the goals of the tournament in the 103rd minute, curling a superb strike into the top corner from the edge of the area to level the match again at 2-2.
The decisive moment came in the 111th minute.
Messi’s corner found Romero, whose powerful header took a slight deflection off a defender’s arm before beating Vozinha to restore Argentina’s lead at 3-2.
Cape Verde mounted one final push, with Emiliano Martinez producing a crucial point-blank save in the closing minutes to preserve Argentina’s advantage.
The victory sends Argentina into the last 16, where they will face Egypt, who advanced after defeating Australia on penalties.
Despite the defeat, Cape Verde earned widespread praise after pushing the defending champions to the limit in one of the most entertaining knockout matches of the tournament.
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