A day later and a different corner of the country, Argentina and Cape Verde meet at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.That kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. ET, and it's hard to find a bigger mismatch on paper anywhere in the bracket.Argentina are chasing a fourth world title, and Lionel Messi has scored six goals already this tournament, more than anyone else in the field.Cape Verde is here for the first time ever. They're a nation of just over half a million people, and they went unbeaten through a group with Spain and Uruguay to reach this stage. Nobody gave them a real shot at that either.
Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha has become something of a folk hero back home, especially after a seven save shutout against Spain.Croatia, for what it's worth, reached the semifinals or better in each of their last three World Cup appearances, so their veteran core knows exactly what a knockout game like this demands. Both fixtures carry the same brutal setup.Win Thursday or Friday, and you live to play another round. Lose, and the tournament's over, no matter how good the story was getting.
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