A spectacular "gladiator" match

Before the tournament, I struggled to remember the name of one Cape Verde player—goalkeeper Vozinha!

Yet, the match between them and Messi's "immortal" Argentina has been etched into the memories of fans worldwide, surely for many years to come!

Do you remember the rules of a gladiatorial combat in ancient Greece and Rome?

In the deadly arenas of Greece and Rome, before the Emperor, the two gladiators, whether of noble royal blood or slave origin, were equal—the loser went to be with God! Even if the slave gladiator won, he would be granted freedom!

Any comparison is flawed, but Cape Verde (ranked 67th in the world, participating in the World Cup for the first time, with an area and population equivalent to only one city in Argentina) made the defending champions, led by the "greatest player in history" - GOAT-Messi - sweat profusely, and almost transformed Cape Verde into a free eagle soaring in the football sky!

Before the match, the President of Cape Verde joked that if his team won, they would be world champions because they had defeated the reigning champions!

Congratulations! Although you didn't achieve your goal, you're now a brilliant and unforgettable runner-up!

Goalkeeper Vozinha, who is "carrying" the Cape Verde team, shared some very honest thoughts about Messi. Even more remarkably, Vozinha spoke as if he were a fan of M10 rather than an opponent: "Messi is the greatest player in the world. What Messi has achieved speaks volumes about his excellence. I have the honor of facing Messi at the World Cup. That will also be the most memorable match of my life. We understand that preventing Messi from scoring is almost impossible. Therefore, Cape Verde will go out and enjoy the match against Messi. We will enjoy the moment of facing Messi, not go out and treat him as an ordinary opponent. Facing Messi, for us Cape Verde, that match is considered a World Cup final.”

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Messi in a tense battle against Cape Verde's tenacious defense. Photo: AP

And the match was truly like a final – Cape Verde equalized twice and only succumbed to an own goal from a corner kick by Messi himself! As for Vozinha, he successfully saved 4 out of 5 of Messi's dangerous shots – he truly was half the Cape Verde team!

Let's talk about Messi again!

This match helped him set a record for scoring in 8 consecutive games, a record for the most official goals (20 goals) in World Cup history, leading the race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, and possibly even the race for this year's Ballon d'Or.

Yet, for the first time here, he had to play the full 120 minutes, exhausting himself alongside his teammates, experiencing several heart-stopping moments, before finally securing a place in the Round of 16!

After the match, a reporter asked goalkeeper Vozinha:

- Vozinha! After the final whistle, you went up to Messi. What did you two talk about?

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- I approached Messi, and before I could say much, he hugged me and said, “Congratulations. You’re a great goalkeeper. Your country’s people should be proud of you.” Hearing those words from someone like Leo meant a lot to me. I said, “Thank you, Leo! You’re the best.” Then I asked if I could have his jersey. Messi smiled and replied, “Of course. I’ll give it to you in the tunnel. Moments like this will stay with you forever!”

True sportsmanship —that's how the reigning champions Argentina and runners-up Cape Verde should treat each other!

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/tran-giac-dau-ruc-ro-1047674