FIFA President Infantino admits he 'suffered' watching Argentina's tense World Cup win

Argentina advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals, narrowly defeating a resilient Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time. The reigning champions dominated possession and created numerous scoring opportunities, but Cape Verde mounted a spirited challenge, nearly staging one of the tournament's biggest upsets.

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I suffered. A hug to all of Argentina and congratulations, because the heart tonight… also the neutrals who were with both… spectacular

The potential for elimination caused palpable concern among the thousands of Argentine fans in attendance, who vocally supported Lionel Scaloni's squad. This tension was shared by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who confessed to experiencing anxiety during the match. Beyond congratulating Argentina on their qualification, Infantino acknowledged that Cape Verde's tenacity made the game a nail-biting affair.

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In this World Cup, Messi is playing in an exceptional way, we know him, he is a crack, it always pleases us to see him and all the others.

"I suffered. A hug to all of Argentina and congratulations, because the heart tonight… even the neutrals who were with both… spectacular," Infantino stated. He also took the opportunity to commend Lionel Messi's performance throughout the tournament, calling it exceptional. Infantino noted the pleasure of watching Messi and other established stars, while also highlighting the emergence of new talents, citing Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha as an example.

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What is interesting about this World Cup is that all the great players are there, they play, they score goals, more than that we see new players like the goalkeeper from Cape Verde (Vozinha)