ICELAND’S DEBUT DELIGHT AS MESSI SUFFERS PENALTY WOE
▶ Earn a point in their first game at the World Cup with 1-1 draw against Argentina in Group D as goalkeeper Halldorsson proves to be the hero with spot-kick save
Iceland had two obvious heroes, and probably 10, 11, 12, 13 more. Argentina and Lionel Messi had only regrets.
Regrets that his team could not open another go at another World Cup with three points; regrets that their captain and standout star could not convert from the penalty spot just after the hour, with the scores tied in Moscow.
In the end of a pulsating encounter at a piercing Spartak Stadium, Argentina were held 1-1 by Iceland.
Much to many’s surprise, the twotime winners of football’s showpiece were unable to find their way past a country appearing at the tournament for the very first time.
“The only major problem is that we didn’t win the points we wanted, the points we came to get,” said Jorge Sampaoli, the Argentina manager. “That’s what we had hoped and desired for.
“The circumstances around the missed penalty and that led to Leo’s mistake, that’s just another statistic, it’s part of the past. We know that down the road we’re going to still have the same passion we had at the beginning.”
Much like Iceland, Sergio Aguero notched a first of his own, the Argentine striker scoring the game’s opening goal on 19 minutes. The Manchester City striker, participating in a third World Cup, had finally bagged one on the grand stage.
Yet he was upstaged by Iceland and Alfred Finnbogason and Hannes Halldorsson. The former created history by notching his country’s first World Cup goal.
The former repeated what he did to Cristiano Ronaldo at the 2016 European Championship: he saved a spot-kick from one of the greatest players in the game.
“As a goalkeeper, to play for Iceland in the first game of the World Cup, to face the best player in the world, it’s a big moment and a dream come true to save it,” said Halldorsson, who confirmed he had studied in the build-up to the match Messi’s past penalties.
“Especially because it helped us get a big point that I hope is going to prove to be important for us to reach our goal to qualify.”
Argentina should still emerge from a Group D containing Croatia and Nigeria, but this increases an already heavy pressure. It could have been so different, but Messi missed, the Barcelona forward taking his recent tally of successful penalties for club and country to three from a possible seven.
Of course, he attempted to atone, but Iceland held on. They should maybe have even conceded another penalty, had the referee seen Birkir Saevarsson tripping Cristian Pavon with 13 minutes remaining.
As it was Iceland held on and they celebrated the result as well they should, by savouring the moment with the fans who travelled from the smallest-populated country of the 32 taking part in Russia.
Halldorsson added: “It’s a big draw for us. We felt at the last Euros how important it is to get a point on the board right away if we’re going to reach our goal to qualify from the group.
“We were playing against one of the best teams in the world, against one of the best players in the world. We were playing our first game in the World Cup, so exactly the same how we celebrated when we played against Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo now against Argentina and Lionel Messi.”
Moscow discovered much of the joyful essence of a World Cup yesterday
The Russian capital has had its partisan celebration, when the tournament opened with the emphatic home victory over Saudi Arabia.
At the Spartak stadium it now the delight of stark contrasts: a vast, proud nation with two World Cup triumphs in its history up against an island country setting a new standard at this, tiny Iceland’s first appearance at sport’s great showpiece. They are the smallest country ever to make a World Cup, and on their debut, amazingly, they held Argentina 1-1.
Argentina sought to win by passand-move. Iceland counter-attacked fast, used the high ball, and above all they were superbly marshalled and prepared, to combat what their head coach Heimar Hallgrimsson acknowledged are Argentina’s ‘superior players.’
One of those superiors may well be the finest on the planet. Lionel Messi dominated the ball yesterday. He will dominate some headlines, too, for having fluffed the penalty that would have put Argentina 2-1 up in the second half.
It was saved by Hannes Halldorsson, the sharp, commanding Icelandic goalkeeper. It was hard not to feel for Messi. He had tackled hard, sweated buckets, looked again and again for the telling pass, seen efforts saved and shave the post.
Then he struck a poor spot-kick and all sorts of memories returned. Like from two years ago, when he missed a penalty in the Copa America final.
Will this be Messi’s World Cup though? So far it is not his at all but very clearly it has been somebody else’s.
Yes, that man to who Messi has lived almost half a lifetime being compared, judged against.
Less than 24 hours before Messi made his bow at Russia 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo had made his, with huge swagger and style. Yes, they both drew their first matches, but the similarities pretty much end at that.
Ronaldo’s sensational hat-trick against Spain on Friday has already set a new landmark in World Cup annals; it also looked like the sort of gauntlet the game’s most gifted duellists, CR7 and Little Leo have been throwing down to another weekend after weekend for most of the last decades.
When Messi scores two for Barcelona on a Saturday, Ronaldo regularly replies with three for Real Madrid against some punchbag club from provincial Spain. And vice-versa.
And now we have a wham-bam first weekend of Russia 2018 to grant to Ronaldo.
He scored a penalty against Spain. Messi fluffed one against Iceland.
Ronaldo scored a second goal, helped by a goalkeeping error; Messi encountered an Iceland with a gloveman on excellent form.
Ronaldo scored a brilliant direct free-kick late on. Messi’s free-kicks were either saved or wayward.
It may get not get much easier for Argentina in Group D in the coming few days. They are evidently leaning on Messi as much as ever, even if Sergio Aguero provided a reminder of his excellent finishing with their lone goal.
In Argentina’s defence, meanwhile, where goalkeeper Willy Caballero was making a competitive international debut at 36 years old, there were jittery moments that Iceland exploited.
Messi cannot solve those, although he can perhaps encourage attacking colleagues to speed up their approach play a little as the tournament builds.