In a match filled with several incredible moments for both teams, Argentinian fans in Miami Beach ultimately got the last laugh as their country came out on top in extra time. Cheers erupted across Miami Beach the moment the reigning World Cup champions punched their ticket to the round of 16. It came in a tense 3-2 victory over Cape Verde, who put up a massive fight, scoring two equalizing goals that managed to silence the pro-Argentinian crowd in attendance at Miami Stadium. “I’m just so happy right now,” said an Argentinian fan. “I’m feeling absolutely incredible. That was the most intense game I’ve ever watched,” said a second Argentinian fan. A sea of powder blue and white jerseys inside the Miami Beach Bandshell amphitheater immediately flipped the switch into celebration mode the moment the game was called. “It was so fun to be here, it was so fun to see everyone hyped for the game,” said an Argentinian fan. “They’re enjoying it, everyone’s enjoying it, the family’s all out here. Couldn’t ask for anything better,” said an Argentinian father carrying his two sons. Elsewhere in South Beach, at Manolo’s restaurant in a slice of the neighborhood known as Little Argentina, fans exploded with excitement. It was an electric scene inside, with fans filling every open space the restaurant had to offer. They didn’t have to wait long to show off that deafening energy and passion for their team, as Lionel Messi scored his record-extending 20th career World Cup goal in the 29th minute to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. Cape Verdean fans, while heavily outnumbered, made sure their presence was known, cheering hard at each equalizing goal and hoping their squad could pull off what might’ve been the biggest upset in World Cup history. It ended up taking extra time but Argentina ultimately sealed it following an own-goal after Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges in the 111th minute. “We always have to suffer first but then we end up winning,” said an Argentinian fan. Once the referee called the match, fans wasted no time pouring into the streets, waving flags, dancing and chanting. It was quite the scare in a matchup that many initially believed Argentina would easily win. Now Argentinian fans are soaring after they took a critical step closer to accomplishing their dream of winning back-to-back World Cup titles. “We have Messi and it was a tough game, we know, but little by little, we showed to the world who Argentina is,” said an Argentinian fan. ...read more read less