ARGENTINA WERE HELD to a draw by World Cup debutants Iceland Saturday, with Lionel Messi blowing a gilt-edged opportunity for victory when he missed a penalty.
Sergio Aguero scored an eye-catching opener for the two-time world champions in the 19th minute but it was almost immediately cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogason, whose team then held on in the face of immense pressure.
It was a major embarrassment for Argentina and raises questions about their ability to claim football’s biggest prize for the first time since 1986.
As Diego Maradona looked on at Moscow’s Spartak stadium, Messi also failed to respond to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick for Portugal against Spain a day earlier.
Messi is yet to win a major international tournament and time is running out with his 31st birthday looming.
While the result was not on the scale of that Iceland produced to eliminate England from Euro 2016, it was a major boost for the tiny nation, who retain hopes of advancing from a group that also includes Nigeria and Croatia.
The island nation of 330,000 is the smallest country to ever qualify for the finals but emphatically showed they can mix it with the heavyweights.
In front of a raucous crowd at the 45,000-capacity venue, Iceland launched into some early physical challenges and rattled Argentina.
They hit on the counter and gave Argentina a scare when Bjorn Sigurdarson pounced on a loose ball only to rifle his shot just wide of the post.
Aguero settled Argentine nerves in the 19th minute when he latched onto Marcos Rojo’s pass in the box, turned and hammered home with his left foot.
True to form, Iceland fought back and Finnbogason netted the equaliser four minutes later, pouncing when Argentine keeper Wilfredo Caballero parried away Gylfi Sigurdsson’s shot for a classic poacher’s goal.
Argentina continued to press but Messi was subdued in the face of muscular Icelandic defence and the teams went into the break on even terms.
Messi looked furious as he led his team out for the second half but the Argentines still struggled to dominate.
They appeared to have secured a breakthrough when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after Rurik Gislason brought Maximiliano Meza down in the 63rd minute.
Messi stepped up for the kick but Hannes Halldorsson guessed correctly and palmed away the Argentine skipper’s side-footed effort.
His free-kick in the final moments of the game was deflected off the Iceland wall and the Barcelona talisman trudged off the pitch dejected.
Argentina must regroup before facing Croatia on Nizhny Novgorod on June 21, while Iceland face Nigeria in Volgograd on June 22.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Well done Iceland …
Ronaldo seems a lot better player than Messi, over the last 18 hours anyway.
I’m supporting Iceland anyway, sure we are pretty much the same: only a C between us.
@Alan Carmody: so let’s disregard the previous 13 years then…
@Alan Carmody: the last World Cup just didn’t happen then ok
@Ruairi Doyle: ah sure it’s early days lads. I thought this was gonna be a tough one for the argies anyway, not enough respect being given to teams who achieved at the euros. Be interesting to see if Brazil are over rated again: I wouldn’t be surprised.
@James Doyle: in fairness I do think Messi is probably the best of all time, that’s why I’ve been a little disappointed with him at world cups. I think most have
@Alan Carmody: he carried them to the final last time
@Ruairi Doyle: ditto Ronaldo in the euros.
@James Doyle: the last 13 years where Ronaldo has more champions leagues and international tournaments won and the same amount of ballon dors is it?
@Alan Carmody: Ronaldo did not carry them stop saying that
Ronaldo is no.1 no arguments
@Daire Cullinane: plenty. As in, he’s not. Not even close. Messi may have missed a penalty but he was far better in play than Ronaldo was.
@Daire Cullinane: Euro 2016 1st game: Iceland 1-1 Portugal. Ronaldo didn’t score…..
DIARMUID CONNOLLY
The best
@James Doyle: Ara shtop. That’s mad reasoning.
@COYBIG: Sour grapes if you want to compare 2 years ago Ronaldo lifted the European cup while Messi cried and quit the national team a long way to go in this Spain lost their first match on 2010 and still lifted the cup and Portugal drew with Iceland 1-1 and lifted the cup Ronaldo ahead now but we will see at the end
@Daire Cullinane: When did you start watching football? Yesterday?
@Jim: Btw it shows how far the world cup has fallen in prestige when so far this one is all about the egos of 2 men
@Shawn Rahoon: Ronaldo has been better the last few years won the last 2 balon dors and should make it 3 in a row
@Jim: hardly deserves the ballon dor this year you’re actually ridiculous
@Ruairi Doyle: Nonsense
@Fineen MacCarthy: The 42 BBC Rte should be included in your list of clowns as they have played up their rivilary big time
@James Doyle: Ronaldo was a lot sharper v Spain under a lot more pressure with not as good players and not even to mention the difference in opposition , you are delusional
Messi, trying to create and finish all game, the entire burden of Argentina on his shoulders.
He’s not great at penalties though. Seems to miss as many as he scores. He has one weakness compared to Ronaldo, and that’s that he knows the game isn’t about him. He feels the pressure. Ronaldo sees the opportunity to be a hero, Messi feels the pressure to be one.
@James Doyle: clean up your shite on the way out will ya
@James Doyle: it’s like a different psychological approach, Messi is a kind of mindful, meditative player while Ronaldo thrives on pressure. Ronaldo is much more effective as an international though where I think psychological pressure is higher on individual players, Ronaldo is undisputed king of Portugal whereas Messi is just Argentina’s minister for transport when he should be God. All could change though but at the moment Argentina are like a date with an Instagram model: great on paper but frequently dull and disappointing in actuality.
Great result for the Icelandics.
Up the Dubs
@Michael Latimer: Ciarraí Abú
That’s Gas !!!
@Michael Latimer: Had to give you a thumbs up for that one… and from a Mayo man as well!
Definitely should have had a second penalty. In saying Iceland were very organised and we’ll drilled as always
Messi is a great player no argument but if you consider the last few years, Ronaldo is the greatest. He gets the goals that have provided success for both club and country.
@Tony Boyle: tap-ins and penalties. Messi far better as a footballer
@Ruairi Doyle: some tap-in last night to draw the game
@Daniel O’Mahony: yeah his first free kick in about three years,let’s think about the first two goals shall we
Am I the only one that thought Messi was brilliant today? He was quality on the ball as usual. Penalty aside.
Messi and Ronaldo are two different players now. Ronaldo has been converted into a centre forward. His only job is to stay up and score goals. Messi is still the creator as well as the goal scorer for both club and country and is much more involved in the play than Ronaldo is.
@Ciaran Rice: he didn’t create or score a go today where ronaldo did both yday and on more than 1 occasion too and against Spain no less
@Jim: goal*
@Jim: what did Ronaldo create you little troll
@Ruairi Doyle: He won the penality he converted and won the free kick that he also converted
@Jim: you misspelled dive
@Jim: I never said Ronaldo doesn’t create anything. Ronaldo is the focal point of Portugal and Real Madrid’s attack’s. He sounds much of his time in the oppositions box as he is now an out and out striker like Lewandowski. Messi is the architect of his teams. Everything they do goes through him, he has two roles. Creator and goalscorer and tracks back as well as taking the ball from deep.
Im not saying one is better than the other. People on here are using the fact that Ronaldo scored a hat trick v Spain as a reason for Ronaldo being better than Messi which is daft.
Go on Iceland fair play to ye, just love it when the undetdog gets an unexpected result.
why does Messi take penalties? bbc said he has missed 24% of penalties for Barcelona. Aguero should have taken it.
Good result for Iceland but Argentina are dodgy looking at the back. Icelands set pieces wer’nt great and they should’ve troubled the Argies more
Waiting for a “football genius” to make the observation that Messi has never won the euros!
Messi has often been compared to Pele and Maradona. On the other hand Ronaldo…..
@Shawn Rahoon: Ronaldo’s basically Aumbameyang with a higher goal rate
LOL
Split Iceland in two!!!!
King Pog
@Crpytoalchol: give it a rest
MESSI = G.O.A.T.
@conex: if that display today qualifies as goat then fair enough, woeful display he tried to do everything himself and his teammates stood by and did fk all. Far from a contending team
delighted for Iceland – what a debut for them. Argentina were certainly disapointing sure but it should not take away from Argentina
The butthurt Messi fans running on to defend him are hilarious if you’d really think he is better than Ronaldo then yous shouldn’t need to defend him after just 1 poor performance looks like yous are trying to convince yourselfs he’s better than Ronaldo
@Jim: all the Ronaldo fans running on to convince people that Messi’s shite
@Ruairi Doyle: Don’t think anyone in their right mind would say Messi is shite but the fact is that he hasn’t performed on the top stage in many years now he derserves the same criticism as others but he seems to be immune from it if Ronaldo has performed in Europe the way Messi in the last few years the book would be thrown at him and there would be calls from him to retire
@Jim: for him*
Would it be too much to trouble to print the first nail score?
@owentighe: *final score. Excuse my fat fingers!!!!
The Argies didn’t like the argie bargie then it could argued!
how can the world get rid of noel king and eamonn dunphy..