Relative to some of their counterparts, Argentina may have felt pleased with the chance to open the knockout stage of the World Cup against debutant Cape Verde.

But don't tell Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni that.

A 3-2 extra-time escape last Friday to keep their pursuit of a repeat title alive may be just the wake-up call the three-time champions need entering their round of 16 clash with Egypt on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta.

"I hope you now realize, there is no easy opponent," Scaloni said after the match, via translator.

After the match, Scaloni wanted to reflect on the positives from a resilient win which saw La Albiceleste twice blow one-goal leads before finally putting the Cape Verdeans to rest.

"There is always room for improvement, but it is important that the team stepped up during difficult moments," Scaloni said. "We can debate whether we played well or poorly, but this team doesn''t shy away from taking charge of the match."

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, who extended his World Cup records to 20 career goals and tallies in eight straight matches, was a bit more blunt in his assessment.

"We did good things," Messi said, via translator, "and we have to correct the bad things."