Argentinian captain Lionel Messi joked about the brutal treatment he received during his team’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.After the final whistle in Miami, several Cape Verdean players approached Messi for pictures and shirts, with the Argentine superstar looking happy despite the physical battle he had endured throughout the game.“They asked for my shirt, everything… On the pitch, they kicked the crap out of me,” Messi joked, as quoted by TyC Sports.Despite securing a place in the Round of 16, Messi admitted Argentina were pushed hard by a determined Cape Verde side who had already impressed earlier in the tournament.The Argentina captain praised his side’s ability to capitalize on set pieces, an area he said had been a focus in recent weeks.“This team has shown this for a long time, compete and compete until the end. Today, we saw the importance of set pieces, which we have not converted well lately. In games like this, it is 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 will be important. We have been working on it for a while, both offensively and defensively. In a competition like this, it is important.”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 tough match,” admitted Messi. “There is a reason that this team had not lost in Spain and Uruguay. We did the hardest part, which was to find the first goal, and we thought that, for that, we had to find our rhythm. And it was quite the opposite. We lost possession, we sat down, we could not press effectively.”Argentina eventually survived the scare and advanced to the last 16, but Messi’s comments suggest there is still room for improvement as the knockout stages continue.