Lionel Messi missed a penalty as Iceland held Argentina to a 1-1 draw in Group D at the Spartak Stadium in Moscow on Saturday, as the former made their first appearance in a World Cup finals.
Sergio Aguero’s emphatic finish gave Argentina the lead in the 19th minute, but that was cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogason just four minutes later.
Argentina were awarded a penalty when Hordur Magnusson bundled over Aguero in the box, but the Messi’s poor effort was saved by goalkeeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson.
La Albiceleste boast one of the most potent selections of attackers at the World Cup, as demonstrated by their ability to start with Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain on the bench.
Their back line, however, is significantly less impressive. The Independent’s Ed Malyon noted the contrast:
Argentina's attack is like its culture and patriotism, strong and impressive. Its defence is like its economy, weak and prone to implosion
— Ed Malyon (@eaamalyon) June 16, 2018
As a result, their defence was routinely exposed by Iceland whenever they pushed forward.
Birkir Bjarnason missed a gilt-edged chance when he side-footed wide after nine minutes, and it came as no surprise when Iceland equalised.
After Argentina failed to clear their lines, goalkeeper Willy Caballero could only palm Gylfi Sigurdsson’s shot to the feet of Finnbogason to tap home.
Argentina’s lack of creativity often required Messi to drop deep in order to act as the side’s playmaker, but if Aguero and their other forward players can be as clinical as they are for their club teams, that could be a viable strategy.