Neymar still not 100 percent
Messi blew a gilt-edged opportunity to seal victory when he missed a second-half penalty, with the Group D match ending 1-1 after Iceland's Alfred Finnbogason cancelled out Sergio Aguero's opening goal.
It was a major embarrassment for the two-time world champions and raises questions about their ability to claim football's biggest prize for the first time since 1986.
As a cigar-puffing 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.
But Sampaoli said Argentina would regroup, beginning with their next match against Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod on Thursday, and move on from the Iceland disappointment.
"There's a certain amount of frustration when you come to win a game and don't get there," he said. "We were enthusiastic but we played against a structured team."
He refused to single out Messi for his penalty miss.
"Evaluating Leo's performance is very difficult because they played almost the whole game in their own half," he said. "I know he's committed to helping us get into the next round."
While the result was not on the scale of that Iceland produced to eliminate England at 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 ever to qualify for the finals but emphatically showed they can mix it with the heavyweights of the game.
"We were playing against one of the best teams in the world, who had
After its highly successful summer clinic, Sunsport Basketball continues with its expanded training camp this July at the Sacred Heart Center Sports Club.
Camp director coach Jojo Romarate said the series of trainings will be held on Sundays only (July 8, 15, 22 and 29), from 10am to 12nn. the best player in the world," said goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.
"It's especially important for us because it helped us get a point, which is important for us to reach our goal to get out of the group."
Iceland's next opponents are Nigeria in Volgograd on Friday.
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 the South Americans 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 equalizer four minutes later, pouncing after Argentine keeper Willy Caballero parried Gylfi Sigurdsson's shot for a classic poacher's goal.
Argentina continued to press but Messi was subdued in the face of the muscular Icelandic defence and the teams went into the break on even terms.
The Barcelona man looked furious as he led his team out for the second half but the Argentines still struggled to make the most of their territorial domination.
They appeared to have secured a breakthrough when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after Hordur Magnusson brought down Maximiliano Meza in the 63rd minute.
Messi stepped up for the kick but 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.
Open to aspiring ballers aged seven to 19 years old, Romarate said they will teach their students both the fundamental and technical aspect of playing hoops.
“Those who want to further sharpen their basketball skills, this would be the best opportunity for them,” said Romarate, longtime coach of the Salazar Colleges of
ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia — Neymar is still the key to Brazil's attack, even if he hasn't fully recovered from a right foot injury.
The five-time champions play their opening World Cup match on Sunday against Switzerland, and Neymar is expected to take his position at the front.
"Neymar is not yet 100 percent," Brazil coach Tite said Saturday. "But physically, he is very privileged. His sprints, his speed are very impressive. He's not 100 percent yet ... but he's good enough to play well."
Neymar appeared relaxed in training at the empty 45,000-seat Rostov Arena, his bleached hair held back with a band.
Tite said midfielder Fred, newly signed by Manchester United, is still recovering from an ankle injury and is the team's only doubt.
Six months after his record-breaking transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar fractured his right foot in February in a match against Marseille. Many in Brazil have been obsessively focused on his recovery, fretting over the national team's promise to overcome its humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 semifinals.
Since Tite took over, Brazil has lost only once in 21 matches and was the first of 31 teams to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. After Switzerland, the Brazilians will take on Serbia and Costa Rica in Group E.
"I'm happy with the way we've played," Tite said. "What we have to do is replicate it at the World Cup."
Despite Brazil's optimism, the team is wary of Sunday's opponents.
"They have two lines of defense and they do it very well. They also have speed in attack," assistant coach Cleber Xavier said. "We've analyzed our opponents in great depth, and I think Switzerland is the strongest team we are going to face at the moment. Of course, that's with the exception of Germany, which plays in a different league." Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) Skyblazers.
Registration fee is pegged at P1,200 inclusive of a training jersey and Sunsport basketball 2018 edition.
For further details, interested parties may keep in touch with coach Jojo (0923-8697421/0932-3300292) or the Sunsport office (345-1016)—EBV