Lionel Messi faced immense backlash over a contentious set-piece, with supporters calling him out for “trying to pull a fast one”. The iconic forward had initially given Argentina the advantage with a brilliant strike against Cape Verde.
However, the tournament newcomers found a dramatic equalizer in Miami. As time quickly ran out in regulation, the defending World Cup titleholders grew increasingly desperate to find a decisive goal. This pushed Messi to take drastic measures. With Argentina winning a free-kick, fan-favorite goalkeeper Vozinha was still organizing his defensive wall when the official blew the whistle.
Seizing on the fact that Vozinha was positioned far over by one of his posts, Messi took a rapid, unexpected shot. Yet, the Cape Verde shot-stopper reacted brilliantly, throwing his body across the goal to pull off a spectacular save. The cheeky play immediately triggered a wave of anger across social platforms. An irritated user commented: “Messi tried to pull a fast one. Almost pulled it off.”
Another fan vented: “Ref tried so hard to give Messi a freebie.”
A third person quipped: “Messi ordered a goal, Vozinha cancelled the delivery.”
Even though the referee had given the signal, questions remain over whether the sly effort would have counted had it gone in, given that Vozinha was entirely unprepared.
Before this, Vozinha had already captivated the global audience with his stellar performances in the group stage.
He managed to shut out Spain and spearheaded his nation’s undefeated run through the opening round.
His sudden surge in popularity even allowed him to surpass Tom Brady’s Instagram follower count, climbing to a staggering 18 million.
Vozinha maintained the 1-1 deadlock until extra time, when Lisandro Martinez finally broke through to make it 2-1. Incredibly, Cape Verde struck back yet again when Sidny Lopes Cabral whipped in a magnificent, jaw-dropping goal.
Ultimately, with just nine minutes left on the clock in extra time, Cristian Romero rose to nod home Messi’s corner kick, clinching the victory and shattering Cape Verde’s dreams.
