{"id":3738,"date":"2026-07-04T05:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3738"},"modified":"2026-07-04T05:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T05:34:15","slug":"lionel-messi-scores-20th-world-cup-goal-extends-streak-to-8-games-and-takes-golden-boot-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=3738","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi scores 20th World Cup goal, extends streak to 8 games and takes Golden Boot lead"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi’s goal-scoring streak lived on, and he made it look easy.<\/p>\n

Read more Fans line up to see Messi as Argentina, Cape Verde set for World Cup showdown at Miami Stadium<\/a><\/p>\n

His hopes of a second consecutive World Cup title also lived on \u2014 and that accomplishment was anything but easy.<\/p>\n

Messi\u2019s goal in the 29th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his record and moving him two ahead of France\u2019s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 on the all-time list. It was the opener of what became a wild night, with Argentina escaping with a 3-2 win in extra time against a huge underdog.<\/p>\n

Messi \u2014 who now has goals in a record eight consecutive World Cup games going back to Argentina’s run to the 2022 title \u2014 seemed relieved after the match, and lauded Cape Verde\u2019s defense for giving his club fits.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did good things,\u201d Messi said in his native Spanish, \u201cand we have to correct the bad things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messi has seven goals in this World Cup \u2014 one more than Mbapp\u00e9 in the race for the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament \u2014 and has scored 12 times during his eight-game World Cup streak. He has been great, and Argentina has needed him to be great.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it represents a lot to be friends with him,\u201d said Rodrigo De Paul, Messi\u2019s teammate with Argentina and Inter Miami. \u201cFor me, friendship is one of the most important things that we all have and I consider myself fortunate to be there, to share these moments with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

And there has been no shortage of moments.<\/p>\n

Messi had the game’s first good chance Friday, his all-world left foot sending a shot skidding across the goal mouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.<\/p>\n

But the momentum was shifting, and before long, Messi broke through for a 1-0 lead. He timed his run perfectly on a ball played into the box by defender Lisandro Martinez to stay onside, controlled the pass and then lifted a shot over Vozinha’s left shoulder from close range for his 124th international goal. Only Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has more.<\/p>\n

Messi stretched his arms and pointed to Martinez, saluting the pass, before teammates mobbed him in celebration.<\/p>\n

Argentina was a huge favorite \u2014 some sportsbooks had the defending champions at minus-3500 to win, meaning bettors would have to wager $3,500 to profit $100 \u2014 and the Messi goal probably had some thinking the scoring dam was about to break.<\/p>\n

Read more Messi and Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time thriller, advancing to World Cup Round of 16<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn’t.<\/p>\n

Cape Verde scored to knot the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and Messi set up the eventual winner with a corner kick that bounced off some heads and into the net midway through the second half of extra time.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs this team has demonstrated many times, and as I\u2019ve said many times, it competes,\u201d Messi said. \u201cAnd we competed to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Golden Boot race may go down to the end as well, with the four leaders now all safely into the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

Messi and Mbapp\u00e9 are far from the only contenders in the Golden Boot race: Norway\u2019s Erling Haaland and England\u2019s Harry Kane each had five goals entering Friday, while four players \u2014 France\u2019s Ousmane Dembele, Spain\u2019s Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil\u2019s Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior and Senegal\u2019s Ismaila Sarr \u2014 had four. Sarr is out of the running since Senegal has been eliminated.<\/p>\n

Norway, England and France have advanced to the Round of 16; Argentina and Messi, the Inter Miami star who is widely considered the greatest player ever, now join them \u2014 barely.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team did everything we could to win the game,\u201d Cape Verde goalie Vozinha said.<\/p>\n

Messi has never won the Golden Boot. He finished second with seven goals \u2014 one behind Mbapp\u00e9 \u2014 while leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, and he tied for third with four goals in 2014.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a tie atop the goal list when the tournament ends, FIFA will use assists as the first tiebreaker and fewest minutes played as the second tiebreaker. Entering Friday, that meant Mbapp\u00e9 would have had the edge over Messi based on his 2-0 lead in assists.<\/p>\n

But for now, Messi leads the scoring race. Most important, he’s still in the race for another World Cup title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you now realize, there is no easy opponent,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.<\/p>\n

Read more Fallout from Venezuela\u2019s earthquakes turns political as opposition leader Machado seeks return<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. 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