Argentina survived on Friday, edging a fearless Cape Verde side 3-2 after extra time at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Enzo Fernandez was at the eye of that storm, and he responded to a bruising morning off the pitch with an imperious one on it. The Chelsea midfielder ran himself into the ground for the entire 120 minutes as Lionel Scaloni’s champions finally reached the Round of 16.
Lionel Messi set the tone in the 29th minute, flicking a finish past Vozinha for his 20th World Cup goal. That was his seventh strike of the tournament, and he was the first man to score in every possible round of the competition. Competing at their first-ever World Cup finals, Cape Verde refused to fold in front of a stunned Miami crowd.
In the 59th minute, Deroy Duarte scored his first international goal to level and give faith to the tournament’s ultimate underdogs. The brutal contest went into a brutal extra half-hour of extra time in the Florida heat. Lisandro Martinez put Argentina back in front before Sidny Lopes Cabral scored again in the 103rd minute.
Argentina finally found a way through when Cristian Romero headed a Messi delivery goalwards, with the ball deflecting off Diney Borges for an own goal. Fernandez was all over the pitch during the mayhem and made Vozinha pull off some clever saves.
The Real Madrid Snub That Overshadowed Enzo Fernandez’s Big Night
Fernandez’s tireless shift came just hours after Real Madrid distanced themselves from the Argentine in unusually blunt fashion. Los Blancos issued an official statement on Friday morning denying any contact over the Chelsea midfielder. The club have dismissed speculation that they are looking to sign the World Cup winner this summer.
The rare contact came after Fernandez’s agent, Javier Pastore, suggested his client was considering options away from Stamford Bridge. The midfielder is exploring the possibility of leaving Chelsea, but there is nothing concrete or agreed with any club, Pastore had revealed. Madrid were eager to maintain their institutional relationship with Chelsea and acted quickly to quash the growing speculation altogether.
Chelsea are believed to be standing firm on the situation, with the Premier League side valuing Fernandez at around £120 million if serious interest arises. The London club still have a strong hand with six years left on his lucrative contract at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal and Manchester City are said to have made inquiries, but Fernandez is now fully concentrated on the tournament.