World Cup 2018: 3 Takeaways from Iceland's draw with Argentina

#1 Lionel Messi unable to lead Argentina to victory

Messi was unable to score from the spot

It was certainly not Messi's day. After Cristiano Ronaldo's hattrick against Spain last nights, fans are eagerly awaiting the response of the Barcelona man. Messi had lots of possession of the ball. In the early stages of the match, he was ruling the midfield, creating chances for his team-mates, getting the rest of his team to move into the box and press up high. Iceland eventually found a way to subdue his influence and Messi had fewer chances to shine.

Despite having fewer opportunities from open play, Iceland continuously gave away free-kicks in dangerous positions of their own half. Messi had the chance to step up, but he failed to live up to expectations. The best chance to get his name onto the scoresheet was through a penalty kick awarded by the Polish referee. The left-footer's strike went to the bottom of the left-hand side of the goal and was eventually saved by Hannes Þór Halldórsson.

Back in June 2016, it was the first time the captain missed from the spot when he played against Chile. This time around, Messi could not convert from the spot on the big stage and failed to secure all three points for his home nation. He had more shots than he had in previous appearances in the World Cup, but Messi just could not find the net.