Lessons Argentina can learn from Cape Verde match

It was the kind of escape that leaves a team counting its blessings. Argentina survived by the narrowest of margins against Cape Verde, needing 120 minutes to secure a 3-2 victory.

Cape Verde undoubtedly played well, but did Argentina produce their best football? Certainly not. So what lessons can Lionel Scaloni's side take from such a nerve-racking encounter?

Argentina's wingers do not usually stay glued to the touchline. Instead, they drift into central areas and roam freely across the pitch.

When opponents try to build from the back, Argentina's wide players are not always aggressive in pressing to win the ball back immediately. Their approach is often measured rather than explosive. It is the tactical formula that helped Lionel Scaloni's team win the World Cup, but it also comes with risks.

Against Cape Verde, Argentina faced a defence that effectively locked down the penalty area with a five-man back line. Until the first-half hydration break, Argentina rarely increased the tempo, instead circulating the ball patiently from one player to another. Tight marking and a compact defensive block prevented Lionel Messi from influencing the game. Even after Messi's goal, Argentina failed to raise the intensity, a factor that ultimately came back to haunt them in the second half.

Cape Verde eventually realised they had to abandon their ultra-defencive approach and began attacking the spaces left behind the adventurous full-backs, Nahuel Molina and Facundo Medina. That tactical adjustment brought them a deserved equaliser. Argentina will need to play with greater speed and urgency in the knockout rounds.

After taking a 1-0 lead, Argentina slowed the game down even further.

Rather than pushing for a second goal to put the contest beyond doubt, Scaloni's side allowed Cape Verde to stay alive. The underdogs capitalised by equalising 13 minutes into the second half.

Argentina regained the lead early in extra time through Lisandro Martinez from a set piece. Even then, however, the same pattern emerged. Instead of pressing aggressively for a third goal, they became passive again and allowed Cape Verde to remain in the contest.

Cape Verde delivered an important reminder that there are no easy opponents at the World Cup.

Argentina's Round of 16 opponents will be Egypt. On paper, Egypt may not carry the same reputation as many of the tournament favourites, but they cannot be taken lightly. If the Cape Verde match taught Argentina anything, it is that every knockout opponent deserves full respect.