“They asked for my shirt but they kicked me out on the pitch”: Lionel Messi after Argentina’s win over Cape Verde

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) vies with Cape Verde’s Deroy Duarte (14) and Ryan Mendes (20) during the World Cup Round of 16 match between Argentina and Cape Verde (AP Photo/George Walker IV) 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 T-shirts after kicking him.After the final whistle in Miami, several Cape Verdean players approached Messi for photos and jerseys, with the Argentine superstar happily agreeing despite the physical battle he endured during the match.“They asked for my shirt, everything… They kick the crap out of me on the pitch,” Messi joked, as quoted by TyC Sports.Despite securing a place in the last 16, Messi admitted Argentina were being pushed hard by a determined Cape Verde side who had impressed earlier in the tournament.The Argentina captain praised his side’s ability to capitalize on set-pieces, an area he said he had focused on in recent weeks.“This team has been proving it for a long time, they compete and will compete until the end. Today we saw the importance of set pieces, which we have been converting poorly recently. It is important in such matches. We have good headers, players who are good in the air,” he added.“We were able to take advantage of that today and it’s going to be important. We’ve been working on it for a while offensively and defensively. It’s important in a competition like this.”However, Messi was not entirely happy with Argentina’s overall performance and felt the defending champions lost control after taking an early lead.“We knew it would be a very difficult game,” admitted Messi. “There’s a reason why this team didn’t lose to Spain and Uruguay. We did the hardest thing, which was to find the first goal, and we thought we’d find our rhythm because of that. And it was the complete opposite. We lost possession, we sat, we couldn’t push effectively.”Argentina eventually survived a scare to progress to the last 16, but Messi’s comments suggested there is still room for improvement as the knockout stages continue.