Argentina escape historic upset but Wright flags major title defect

Argentina survived a monumental World Cup scare on Saturday morning, scraping past a heroic Cape Verde side 3-2 in a thrilling Round of 32 clash. However, the defending champions’ narrow escape has prompted former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright to sound a stark alarm over their hopes of retaining the trophy, insisting their defensive frailties have left them “there to be taken.”

In a match destined for the record books, the tiny archipelagic nation—who arrived at the knockout stage boasting an unbeaten group-stage run after holding Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia to draws—matched the footballing giants stride for stride.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the tournament to give Argentina an early foothold. But Cape Verde refused to fold, with Deroy Durate powering home an equalizer on the hour mark to force a tense period of extra time. Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez appeared to have saved the day, restoring Argentina’s lead in the first extra period. Yet, Sidny Cabral quickly responded with a sublime curling strike—arguably the goal of the tournament so far—to spark delirium among the underdogs.

Deep into the second period of extra time, the luck finally swung in Argentina’s favor. A Cristian Romero header found the back of the net after deflecting off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges, sending the Albiceleste through to the last 16 with a sigh of relief.

While the result keeps Lionel Scaloni’s men in the competition, Wright believes the spirited challenge from Cape Verde has brutally exposed the champions’ weaknesses.

“They are fallible”

Speaking on ITV1, Wright pointed to a tactical vulnerability that bigger nations will now look to exploit.
“What Cape Verde has shown is that they [Argentina] are fallible,” Wright stated. “We know they are great, that they can dig in and that they are warriors. They have the best player in the world but what I would be looking at is they are there to be taken. They are there to be beaten.”

He added, “If you can give the same kind of endeavour we saw Cape Verde give, but you have more quality in the final third, then Argentina are there to be beaten. I think in the wide areas they are very weak. You can get at them in those areas.”

Romero Lucky to Survive

Wright also had pointed criticism for the officiating and Romero’s discipline. The Tottenham defender, who eventually scored the decisive goal, was fortunate not to receive a second booking earlier in the game, Wright argued.
“I think Romero was very fortunate, he should have been booked in the first half without a doubt,” Wright observed. “He got booked in the latter stages so he was lucky to be on the pitch and he ended up scoring one of the goals.”

As the tournament enters its critical knockout phase, Wright’s assessment serves as a daunting reality check for Argentina. While their warrior spirit and attacking genius remain undeniable, this narrow escape suggests their defense may not hold up against the tournament’s elite attacking forces in the weeks to come.