By Angu Lesley
Football writer kick442.com – Cameroon
Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has warned his players not to underestimate Cape Verde ahead of their FIFA World Cup Round of 32 encounter, describing the African side as one of the tournament’s surprise packages.
Despite Argentina entering the tie as favourites, Scaloni believes Cape Verde have already shown they are capable of competing with some of the world’s best.
Cape Verde are a good team, which has made things difficult for its three opponents at the World Cup. They are a tough opposition, who is going to make things difficult for us because they have already done it to Spain, which is one of the favourites, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.”
The Argentina boss admitted that the 2026 World Cup has produced enough surprises to ensure there is no room for complacency.
For the things we are seeing in this World Cup, we have to be careful. It’s a fast, quality and good team.”
Cape Verde have been one of the revelations of the tournament. The African nation pushed Spain all the way, held their own against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia during the group stage, and secured a historic place in the knockout rounds with fearless, organised football.
Scaloni’s comments reflect the growing respect African teams are commanding at this World Cup, with Morocco, Paraguay and Canada among the nations making headlines through impressive performances. Argentina will now be hoping to avoid becoming the latest heavyweight to fall victim to one of the tournament’s biggest stories.
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