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Argentina kicked off their World Cup 2018 campaign against Iceland in Group D's first match. Argentina, one of the favorites to win the World Cup boasts of arguably the best player in world football, Lionel Messi.
Possessing a star-studded attack overflowing with talent, Argentina would have hoped to smash the Icelanders, the smallest nation at the World Cup, making their debut in the competition.
All eyes were on Leo Messi after Cristiano Ronaldo scored a breath-taking hat-trick against Spain the previous night.
The match was a close affair with Argentina attacking as expected, and Iceland strongly holding their line against the continuous wave of Argentine attack.
Argentina grabbed an early lead with a stunning finish from Sergio Aguero in the 19th minute, which was immediately cancelled out with a neat finish from Icelandic forward Finnbogason in the 23rd minute.
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Messi continuously dribbled past Iceland's defenders as he made 10 attempts in the match, but a strong Icelandic defense ensured the match ended in a stalemate.
He also missed a penalty in the 64th minute as his terrible performances for Argentina continued. The match ended in a disappointing result for Argentina as Iceland pulled off the unthinkable.
Argentina's attack looked jaded excluding the hardworking Messi, as they couldn't find a winner despite having 78 percent possession of the ball and making 27 attempts on goal. Let's take a look at 3 things that went right for underdogs Iceland against Argentina.
#1 Messi's terrible performances for Argentina continued
Argentina captain Lionel Messi was by far the stand-out performer in a disappointing Argentine attack, he made 10 attempts on goal which also featured a penalty miss. All eyes were on arguably the best footballer of our generation as his rival Cristiano Ronaldo scored a spectacular hat-trick against Spain.
The little magician's curse for Argentina continued as he couldn't convert a mere penalty after losing all hope of scoring from open-play. You could say he tried his best with all the attempts he made in the match, but nothing less than a goal is expected from a player of Messi's calibre.
Lionel Messi will need to improve his game and rise up to the occasion on football's grandest stage as his nation looks upon him to provide the crucial match-winning moments.
Their next match is a must win for Argentina as they face fellow group favorites Croatia. Messi will need to perform in this game if he is to guide his team to the latter stages of the tournament and avoid a massive upset in the early stages.
#2 Argentina's subdued attacking performance
Argentina boasts of a star-studded attack featuring the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria. Messi looked like a lone figure upfront throughout the match, with a subdued attacking effort from the Argentinians.
A spectacular finish from Sergio Aguero was the only commendable contribution from the forward in an otherwise disappointing performance. Messi missed a crucial penalty for the side as he made 10 attempts in the match and still failed to find the back of the net.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli may need to make much needed adjustments to his starting lineup as world-beaters Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain were left on the bench. Argentina will certainly have to be more efficient in front of goal if they are to live up to expectations and emerge as World champions.
In a group containing the likes of Nigeria and Croatia, the task ahead for them is not as easy as many would have thought. Group D looks much more competitive now with the possibility of a shocking upset early in the tournament highly likely.
#3 Iceland's spectacular defensive performance
Iceland produced the unthinkable as they held a glorious Argentina side to a stalemate in their FIFA World Cup 2018 opener.
The underdogs held a strong defensive line and frustrated Lionel Messi as they relentlessly tackled their way into fabricating an amazing result for their side. They flooded their box with numbers in defense and ensured no space was given to the incoming forwards
Much credit needs to be given to Icelandic goalkeeper Halldórsson who pulled off a fantastic penalty save in the 64th minute to prevent Lionel Messi from opening his goal-scoring account in the tournament.
The Icelandic team produced the first shocking result of the World Cup and will take a lot of confidence going into the next matches as they have competed against their toughest opponents in the group.
Group D, considered the group of death in this World Cup has become even more intense after this result. I would love to see the underdogs pull off the impossible and advance into the final 16 of the tournament against all odds.
Will Iceland, World Cup debutantes, pull off an exceptional feat by qualifying to the final 16 of the tournament? Have your say in the comments.
