Alexis Mac Allister provided an assist as Argentina survived a scare against Cape Verde to book a place in the World Cup last 16 against Mohamed Salah‘s Egypt.
Mac Allister started for the third time in the competition as he lined up alongside Enzo Fernandez in Argentina’s midfield, who were expected to dominate against Cape Verde.
Instead, they twice took the lead, were twice pegged back, and ultimately needed a late extra-time winner to avoid a historic upset.
Lionel Messi extended his summer’s World Cup tally to seven after opening the scoring, but in the words of ESPN Argentina, Cape Verde’s equaliser was “punishment for a team that thought they had the game wrapped up.”
Mac Allister’s flick-on from a corner set up a goal from Lisandro Martinez at the start of extra time, but Lionel Scaloni’s men allowed the opposition to equalise again with a stunning strike.
It was then another set-piece goal that wrapped up the game in the 111th minute, with Cristian Romero’s header deflecting off the arm of Diney Borges to give Argentina a 3-2 win.
The current champions had their midfield criticised, with ESPN’s report adding that, “the team looked physically exhausted for much of the second half and extra time.”
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring his side's 2nd goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Austria in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Jessica Tobias)
Mac Allister played the full 120 minutes, taking his tournament tally to 329, finished with the fourth-most touches (107), created two chances (second-most), but won only 50 percent of his duels (7/14).
Argentina’s win sets up a last-16 clash against Salah’s Egypt after their penalty shootout win over Australia. The fixture will be played on Tuesday at 5pm (BST).
How the media rated Alexis Mac Allister vs. Cape Verde
Mac Allister received mixed reviews after his 120-minute outing, with FotMob statistically rating his performance an 8.2 out of 10, the third-highest score of any player.
He, however, received a harsh four out of 10 rating from *Ole*‘s Hernan Claus, who assessed: “He wasn’t a significant presence.”
This was also noted by GOAL‘s Tom Hindle, who gave the midfielder five out of 10 having “found himself a bit overrun at the base of midfield at times.”
And ESPN Argentina‘s Nicholas Baier noted Mac Allister’s “pinpoint passing accuracy” but still only awarded the 27-year-old a rating of five out of 10.
The criticism of the game passing him by on the transition will be a familiar tale for Liverpool supporters, who have voiced concerns over his ability to cover the ground and have an influence.
Argentina’s progression in the tournament means more minutes ahead for Mac Allister and a delayed return to pre-season, with progression beyond the last 16 certain to see him miss the Reds’ US tour.