Argentina v Cape Verde: Breaking down biggest World Cup knockout mismatch

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha will have to keep out Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest player of all time

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha will have to keep out Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest player of all time

Lionel Messi versus Vozinha. It is the World Cup battle no-one knew they wanted, but which fans now cannot wait to see.

Arguably the greatest player the world has seen faces a 40-year-old goalkeeper who was a complete unknown three weeks ago.

It encapsulates one of the best stories of this World Cup - Cape Verde, on their World Cup debut, defying the odds to reach the knockout rounds.

It was heralded as one of the greatest-ever World Cup shocks, and the African nation did not even win.

Then came draws against two-time World Cup winners Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, to qualify for the last 32 in second place in the group.

One of the most-storied national teams - and the current world champions - face opponents who only first qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013.

Cape Verde was a colony of Portugal when Argentina took part in the first World Cup in 1930, finishing runners-up to Uruguay.