'They asked for my jersey but kicked the crap out of me on field': Messi after Cape Verde win

Argentina captain Lionel Messi joked about the rough treatment he received during his side's dramatic 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, saying his opponents were happy to ask for selfies and shirts after spending the match kicking him.After the final whistle in Miami, several Cape Verde players approached Messi for photographs and jerseys, with the Argentine superstar happily agreeing despite the physical battle he had endured throughout the game."They asked for my jersey, everything... On the field, they kick the crap out of me," Messi joked, as quoted by TyC Sports.Despite securing a place in the Round of 16, Messi admitted Argentina had been pushed hard by a determined Cape Verde side that had already impressed earlier in the tournament.The Argentina captain praised his team's ability to capitalise on set-pieces, an area he said had been a focus in recent weeks."This team has been demonstrating this for a long time, it competes and will compete until the end. Today, we saw the importance of set pieces, which we hadn't been converting well lately. In matches like this, it's important. We have good headers, players who are good in the air," He added."Today we were able to take advantage of it, and it's going to be important. We've been working on it for a while, both offensively and defensively. In a competition like this, it's important."However, Messi was not entirely satisfied with Argentina's overall performance and felt the defending champions lost control after taking an early lead."We knew it was going to be a very hard match," Messi admitted. "There's a reason this team hadn't lost to Spain and Uruguay. We did the hardest part, which was finding the first goal, and we thought that, because of that, we were going to find our rhythm. And it was the complete opposite. We lost possession, we sat back, we couldn't press effectively."Argentina eventually survived the scare and advanced to the last 16, but Messi's comments suggested there is still room for improvement as the knockout stages continue.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.