The match between Argentina and Iceland has ended with a 1-1 draw as Messi failed to score after Argentina was awarded a penalty in the 64th minute of the match, thus becoming the first player to miss a penalty kick at the World Cup in Russia.
During the course of the game, Messi attempted 11 shots against Iceland. Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Haldorsson was named Man of the Match and made seven saves, including from Messi's penalty.
Argentina vs Iceland#Messi So Close Messi misses the Penalty#ARGISL #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/BJ5tiTKpXP
— Nova Villanueva (@Villanue) June 16, 2018
Four minutes after Argentine striker Sergio Aguero scored the first goal in Group D match held in Moscow, Iceland "returned" the favor, with Alfred Finnbogason securing a 1-1 score.
11 – Lionel Messi attempted 11 shots for Argentina vs Iceland (the most he’s ever attempted in a World Cup game), but he still didn’t manage to score a goal. Frustration.#ARGISL #ARG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/YDZBP9aowj
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 16, 2018
A day prior to the match with two-time champion Argentina, Iceland midfielder and captain Aron Gunnarsson said that the team wanted to give their fans "a surprise" at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The team's head coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, said that Iceland would not assign a player to personally mark star striker Lionel Messi.
READ MORE: Forwards Messi, Aguero to Start for Argentina in Iceland Match at FIFA World Cup
Argentina had been drawn in Group D along with Nigeria, Croatia and Iceland, which had qualified for the World Cup for the first time and is the smallest nation to achieve this feat.
