Argentina 1 - 1 Iceland World Cup 2018 Lionel Messi misses penalty

Argentina 1-1 Iceland REPORT: Lionel Messi misses penalty in World Cup 2018 clash against minnows After his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics the night before, the pressure was on Lionel Messi to deliver. But the Argentina superstar, entrusted with the task of leading his nation to success in what is likely to be his last World Cup, ultimately fell flat. Ronaldo had laid down the gauntlet to Messi with his stunning hat-trick in Portugal’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Spain in their World Cup opener. But Barcelona star and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi was unable to inspire his side in the way Ronaldo did, missing a penalty and failing to find a way past Iceland’s heroic battlers. Icleand, who humiliated England by knocking them out of Euro 2016, were at their collective and belligerent best here, putting their bodies on the line as Argentina threw everything at them, only to come up short. Messi – his penalty miss aside – did not play particularly badly, but met an immovable object in the stubborn shape of Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side, who proved here their Euro 2016 exploits were no fluke. Iceland, ranked 22nd in the world and making their World Cup debut, may not be a side for the football purists, with their rudimentary approach, but their formidable work ethic and collective spirit saw them earn a deserved draw. After an anxious opening for two-time winners Argentina, Jorge Sampaoli’s side settled down and began to play with fluency and purpose, with Iceland made to chase the ball. Messi probed in a bid to find a way through the Icelandic block in front of him, but it was Sergio Aguero who made the breakthrough in the 20th minute with his first World Cup goal. There seemed little danger when Aguero picked the ball up with his back to goal, but the Manchester City striker, as so many Premier League defenders will testify, is capable of conjuring something from nothing. Aguero performed a lighting quick turn, leaving Ragnar Sigurdsson trailing in his wake, and unleashed an unstoppable strike that flashed past Iceland keeper Hannes Halldorsson and into the net. It was a deserved lead for one of the tournament favourites, but one that asted just four minutes, Argentina’s uncertainty at the back undermining Aguero’s brilliance and gifting their opponents an equaliser. Everton’s Gylfi Sigurdsson drilled a ball into the six-yard box, which Willy Caballero was only able to palm into the path of the grateful Alfred Finnbogason, who reacted quickest to steer it into the net to level. With Caballero anxious throughout, Argentina always looked vulnerable at the back, with Gylfi Sigurdsson twice going close before the break, with Sampaoli’s side lucky to go in at 1-1. Argentina dominated after the break and should have gone ahead in the 64th minute when they won a penalty after Maxi Meza went down in the box following a shove from behind. Messi stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick but saw his poor effort saved by Halldorsson. Messi failed with a dipping free-kick and struggled to make his influence count thereafter, as Iceland. Argentina became increasingly desperate as the clock ticked down, substitute Cristian Pavon enraging Polish ref Szymon Marciniak for appealing for a penalty that was blatantly not justified. Messi did his best to drag his country to victory, playing with greater enterprise and purpose as the game ebbed away, but even he was unable to find a way to breach Iceland’s stubborn resistance. The 30-year-old went close with a curling effort that flew inches wide with nine minutes left, the miss summing up his frustrating afternoon. Iceland were indebted to spot-kick hero Halldorsson late on, when he dived at full-stretch to his left to keep out a goal-bound shot from Pavon, clipped on its way by Aguero, while Messi shot wide in added time. A nation of just 335,00 inhabitants, having stunned England at Euro 2016 and swept aside Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey on the road to Russia, did it again, this time against arguably the greatest player of all time. Argentina: Caballero 5, Salvio 6, Otamendi 6, Rojo 6, Tagliafico 6, Mascherano 7, Biglia 6 (Banega 53, 6), Meza 6 (Higuain 84, 5), Messi 7, Di Maria 5 (Pavon 75, 6), Aguero 7 Iceland: Halldorsson 8 MOTM, Magnusson 7, R Sigurdsson 7, Arnason 7, Saevarsson 7, Hallfredsson 7, Gunnarsson 7 (Skulason 76, 5), Bjarnason 7, G Sigurdsson 7, Gudmundsson 6 (Gislason 63, 6), Finnbogasan 7 (Sigurdarson 89) Man of the match: Halldorsson 8 Sergio Agüero 19' Lionel Messi 63' Alfred Finnbogason 23'