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On Friday, out of Miami, it's the champions versus Cinderella. How's that for a headline heading into Argentina's match with Cabo Verde? And how unique is this? This is the first meeting between reigning FIFA World Cup champions and the smallest nation by population ever to advance to the World Cup knockout rounds. We continue to have Lisa Carlin on loan from the Galasso network, so let's talk about the Friday's fixture down there in Miami, Lisa. And let's start with the reigning title holders, which I think I was in that camp of some wanting to see more out of this Argentine side given the health and the age of Lionel Messi.
What have we learned through the group stage that we should take into the knockout stage heading into the game? Hey Tommy, happy to be here with you. Well, we've learned that Lionel Messi is aging like a fine wine. He can't be stopped. It doesn't matter how old he is, how many World Cups he's played in, because he's still able to adapt and adjust. And that's really the beauty of this Argentinian team. I mean, they won the World Cup 4 years ago in Qatar, and their starting 11 for that final against France, there's only one player not on this roster. All 10 other players are still there, and that's Angel Di Maria.
But Lionel Messi is the linchpin of this team. He has the freedom to float, to move wherever he wants, to be on the ball as long as he wants, to drop deeper, to go higher, float out wide, inside. And because of his freedom, that means that the rest of the team has to adjust to him, but they've all bought into that. That's what makes Argentina so successful. And we've seen Messi be able to get the job done in this group stage so far with his ability to score goals, six of them already, and they've come in a variety of ways. In a little bit of transition, shots from distance, quick reaction time, inside the box, good combinations, and of course the set piece goal, which is his specialty
that we get to see in Miami fans get to see all the time. But now he has to continue to do that moving forward. You see these incredible players chasing him for the Golden Boot right now. Kylian Mbappe out of France, Harry Kane with England and then Erling Haaland of Norway. You know Messi is watching all those other guys, watching their games playing and that's only fueling him to bring even more, even more. It's a long road to get to the final for Argentina, not a tricky one by any means, but it starts now and it does continue with Messi at the helm of this team. So we'll talk about the bracket path for Argentina in just a second, but you brought up and we saw the graphic. This has been a World Cup tournament filled
with stars and stars performing well. And just to get to Messi, again some reservations for people given his MLS club side Inter Miami. How similar or different is the Argentinian national team using number 10? Nah, pretty similar because at Inter Miami as well, they let it's the Messi show. They let him do what he wants and a lot of times that doesn't work with egos on a team with confidence of a player, but when you got the goat, Lionel Messi on your roster, you let him do what he wants because that's when he can cook the most. It's also the most unpredictable for the opposition and we've seen that in MLS play. It doesn't matter who Inter Miami is playing up against. Lionel Messi is
going to get the best of them at times. He is going to be double-teamed all over the pitch which opens up space teammates, but he just attracts so much attention when he is on the pitch and he's able to go wherever you have to keep your eyes on him defensively because you never know when he's going to pop up and he can create magic from anywhere on the pitch because he is such a triple threat. He can keep the ball and drive at defenders. He can combine with his [clears throat] teammates setting them up for success and then he can shoot and go himself. So it's a full package that we get from Messi and it has seamlessly translated from club to country for him right now.
Let's get to the Cinderella story and how are we pronouncing that? Have we come to an agreement? Have you guys over Golazo Network determined the right way to say it there, Lisa? Yeah, I got you, Tommy. It's Cabo Verde. That's what we're going with. All right. And so, just how do you characterize this run that they've been on to get to this point? Cinderella story is the perfect way to describe Cabo Verde because this is a nation of 10 islands that sit in the middle of the ocean that have dreamed of playing in a World Cup. Their population is just over half a million. Half a
million. That could fit in some of these stadiums that we're playing in. Right? If you fill these stadiums, that's exactly what this nation looks like. And they've now made history as the smallest nation to reach the knockout rounds. Their first World Cup, they've picked up their first points. And now their first knockout round. And they have to go against the giants, the reigning champs of Argentina. But it doesn't matter because Cabo Verde has already proven that they're here a little bit for the vibes. They're here to make history, but they're here to show everyone what their nation is all about. That they can be a footballing nation. That they deserve to be here. That their run through the African Cup of Nations
isn't a fluke. They're talented. They have depth. They've got a 40-year-old goalkeeper in Vozinha who's standing on his head. He's bringing out magic from between the sticks. And it's just made everyone fall in love with not just this tiny nation, but this tiny team that has all the belief, all the fun, and all the dance moves. That, hey, who knows what they could do against Argentina. It could be pretty fun. Yeah, either way the vibes are going to be high down in South Florida and everybody watching rooting on for a Cinderella type team. So, with that being said, Lisa, what type of game can you expect or that we can expect as fans
watching this? And ultimately, at the end of the day, how do you think the result will go? Yeah, it's a tough uphill battle for Cabo Verde in this one because of who they're playing against. It's Argentina, the reigning champs, Lionel Messi, as we've talked about, Tommy. So, the game plan for Cabo Verde, keep doing what they've been doing throughout this competition, which means they're really stout defensively. They're so organized. Their space between the lines has been so impressive. They were able to hold Spain scoreless, score two against Uruguay, and then hold Saudi Arabia scoreless. It's been so impressive their defensive efforts.
They're really tight in the back line. They're organized at times it looks like a five back, but they're so comfortable without the ball. And out of possession, a team that is okay just giving the ball to their opposition. It's exactly what Argentina wants. Now they have to unlock the back line for Cabo Verde. Plus, once you get through the two lines of defense for Cabo Verde, you still have to get through Vozinha, who's been a goalkeeper to watch throughout this tournament. And not just because of his rise to fame on social media. His social media followers are up in the millions now, I think. Go give him a follow, it's pretty fun. But it's more so about his ability to do everything for his team. And when a team
is sitting back so far, Argentina has to unlock them. And you can do that in a couple of different ways. Quick movements off the ball and passing, dribbling through a box, or late runs that come out of midfield. And Argentina has the keys to do all three of those. I do believe that Argentina is going to get the win in this one. It won't be easy. It's not going to be a high score by any means, but I do believe the reigning champs and Leo Messi will advance to the round of 16 through Cabo Verde. All right, Lisa Carlin with the double here on CBS Sports HQ. Lisa, certainly appreciate it. We appreciate your insight as always. Catch her on the Golazo Network including all of the other analysts we've been featuring here throughout this tournament. And
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