FIFA World Cup 2018 : Debutants Iceland hold Argentina to 1-1 draw
Iceland made a dream start in FIFA World Cup 2018 by holding twice World Cup champion Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of pool D at Spartek Stadium in Moscow on Saturday.
It was 36-year-old goalkeeper Hannes Halldosson, a music producer turned footballer, who executed seven brilliant saves, including a penalty kick save of Lionel Messi, to emerge as the undisputed hero of the game.
Though the South Americans went all out for a match winner but the debutant Iceland's defence line stood like a rock to share points of a thriller.
Lionel Messi, like Ronaldo, is a veteran of many a World Cup battle. Fans of Messi wanted him to repeat performance of Ronaldo's performance of yesterday when he notched up the current World Cup's first hat trick. But Messi, even after trying his best, could not appease his fans. It was perhaps not his day.
Initially he protested and wanted the ball to be replaced as it was not properly inflated.
When the South Americans took the lead in the 19th minute, it looked as if they are going to wrap up the game comfortably. The goal by Aguera, who was sporting jersey number 19, came in the 19th minute. But this coincidence did not prove lucky for Argentina.
Iceland just took four minutes to restore parity. It was a goal that perhaps best of goalkeepers could not have saved. The initial shot by Gylfi Sigurdsson was saved and fisted away by Argentina's goalkeeper Wilfredo. But Alfred Finnbogasson pounced upon the rebound and smashed the ball home to restore parity.
As the teams broke for interval on equal terms, Argentina took to offensive in the second half mounting pressures with frequent attacks. In the 61st minute, one of such attacks led to award of a penalty for which Lionel Messi came up. His waist high shot was fisted away by Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.
This was the first ever penalty kick taken by Lionel Messi in World Cup and he failed. Incidentally it was also Argentina's first penalty kick since 2002. Statistically speaking Lionel Messi has scored only five goals from 10 penalty kicks he has taken in his international career.
Iceland team had every reason to celebrate its 1-1 draw and snatch a point from Argentina to keep the pool D open.
