Cape Verde Islands, playing in their first ever World Cup knockout match, twice pulled level against a heavily favoured Argentina side before falling 3-2 in a game that had little in common with the tightly controlled affair many expected.
Argentina's front three delivered as advertised, combining for all three goals, but the back line's failure to close down space on the counter twice in the second half will worry the coaching staff heading into a tougher Round of 16 draw. For a debutant at this stage, Cape Verde's attacking output — two goals from open play against one of the tournament's favourites — was arguably the story of the round.
Our pre-match Over 2.5 Goals pick, published before kickoff, graded as a win: see the full analysis below.
