Iceland may be the smallest country to ever qualify for the World Cup, but they proved they can play with the best in the world with a opening draw against Argentina that included a crucial missed penalty kick by Lionel Messi.
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But with trademark dark humour, the part-time coach and full-time dentist, conceded: “We wanted to use spaces behind them – but it’s hard when you don’t have the ball”.
But now they are up against Lionel Messi, a man who is on a mission to win his first trophy with the Argentine senior team.
Peru’s players besieged the Denmark goal in search of an equaliser but a combination of some great goalkeeping by Kasper Schmeichel, heroic defending and wayward finishing condemned them to defeat. They had a lot of possession. This is a team which has perfected the art of frustrating their opponents into submission. The attack was clearly not working with Aguero isolated, Messi dropping deep into midfield to pick up the ball and Angel Di Maria isolated on the flank.
Messi’s vision is far superior to any of his team-mates and you sometimes think Barcelona’s record goalscorer would be better off taking the chance on himself.
However, Sergio Aguero made all the possession La Albiceleste count in the 19th minute with a superb left-footed strike inside the box that screamed into the top corner, 1-0. Remember, Though Iceland played their hearts out today, Argentina should have brushed them off today considering the firepower they have amongst their ranks.
Messi’s first chance came on 17 minutes, when a shot from distance brought a good stop from the Iceland ‘keeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson. Messi, as usual, took the ball, placed it on the spot and fired to the goalkeeper’s right.
While Argentina controlled the ball for large stretches, they held steady at the back, and with 20 minutes remaining the situation was summed up when Banega curled a hopeful, rather than unsafe, shot towards the ‘keeper from outside the box.
After Alfred Finnbogason converted a rebound from close range in the 23rd minute, Iceland resumed their stout ways. Iceland’s fortitude allowed him only fleeting moments of freedom. Magnusson penalised for a collision with Meza.
Get the latest World Cup news updates. Halldorsson guessed the right way and palmed the ball to safety. The penalty miss with the game there for the taking will haunt him but it shouldn’t entirely come as a surprise, as he has scored only three of the last seven penalties he has taken for club and country. Argentina has the English Premier League experience of central defenders Nicolas Otamendi and Marcos Rojo to help cope. Seldom threatening to take the lead itself, Iceland also shut down Argentina’s efforts to win the game.
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And on the final touch of the match, presented with an opportunity for heroism, just as rival Cristiano Ronaldo had fulfilled for Portugal a day earlier, Messi smashed a 28-yard free kick into the wall. “Having a player like Leo means you have to organise the team differently”.
