Player ratings:
That’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with our match report of another memorable Icelandic triumph of the human spirit, and don’t forget to join Bazzer for Peru v Denmark. Bye!
“Watched the game from Sweden,” says Alistair Scrutton. “My incredulous 8-year-old son Leo comments about Messi’s performance: ‘I’ve seen all these YouTube videos. Are they fake?’”
Don’t you mean, ‘My incredulous 8-year-old son Cristiano’?
The next match today is Peru v Denmark in Group C. It begins in 50 minutes, and Barry Glendenning has just assumed the position.
“WELL DONE ICELAND!!!!” says Niall Mullen. “Now let’s never see each other again.”
“Tomorrow is Iceland’s Independence Day,” says Kári Tulinius. “The night before is traditionally a party night. Reykjavík is going to be a giant outdoor party until the wee hours of Monday morning. The whole of Iceland will be.”
Ach, sod impartiality: WELL DONE ALL OF YOU, ICELAND I LOVE YOU.
Har, har VAR (part 3) On reflection, the penalty that was given was very dodgy – Meza dragged his foot against the defender to initiate contact, so that could well have been overturned. It should certainly have been reviewed by the referee.
I’m struggling to understand how the decision to fast-track an inadequately trialled system into the rarefied atmosphere of the world’s biggest tournament could turn into a shambles so soon.
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Har, har VAR (part 2) After the earlier mistake in the France/Australia game, there was another hot mess in the 77th minute of this match when Cristian Pavon seemed to be fouled in the area. Whether the no-penalty decision should have been overturned is debatable, but it should certainly have been looked at.
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I’d love to stop and chat, but I’m off to get the next flight to Reykjavik. But seriously, what a night out that will be. Nobody will be toasted more than Alfred Finnbogason, who scored the equaliser, and Hannes Thór Halldrsson, who saved a penalty from Lionel Messi in the second half. As everyone knows, he’s a film director in his spare time. Turns out he’s a scriptwriter as well.
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Full time: Argentina 1-1 Iceland
Messi’s free-kick hits the wall, and that’s the last kick of the game! Iceland have drawn with Argentina in their first World Cup match!
90+5 min Messi is fouled 30 yards from goal. This might be the last kick of the game. How’s that script looking?
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90+4 min Iceland are hanging on desperately now.
90+3 min Messi teases the ball onto his right foot in the area, only to splatter a shot wide of the near post. That was another decent chance.
91 min “The online debate on Messi vs Ronaldo,” says Matt Kershaw, “has become an absolute godsend to anyone wanting to explain the concept of confirmation bias.”
Yeah but he is better isn’t he.
90 min There will be five minutes of added fun.
89 min Finnbogason is replaced by Sigurdarson.
88 min Mascherano’s long-range shot is comfortably held by Halldorsson, who throws the ball out of play so that’s Finnbogason can be treated for cramp. Argentina, a team with a proud history of sportsmanship, complain to the referee.
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87 min Halldorsson makes another fine save! Pavon’s inswinging cross from the left wing beat everyone at the near post and was bouncing towards the far corner when the unsighted Halldorsson flew to his left to push it away. That’s a brilliant stop.
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85 min Iceland have given up the pretence of attacking. All they want is a 1-1 draw, and quite right too. In the context of World Cup history it would be a staggering result.
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84 min Iceland don’t look particularly tired, despite the physical and mental demands of defending for such long periods. Argentina make their final change, with Gonzalo Higuain replacing the man whose performance put the ‘meh’ in ‘Meza’.
83 min “Wow...Pavon took a dive and Cristiano’s was a penalty?” sniffs Gokul Kannan. “Oh please. Ronaldo made the most of the contact and Pavon couldn’t sell it?? What is this now: salesman of the year?”
Hahaha, that’s my favourite email of the World Cup so far. I agree, though, it’s weird they didn’t go to VAR. The whole thing is a premature mess. It’ll work eventually but it’s not ready yet.
82 min Messi receives the ball on the edge of the D and shapes a beautiful, trademark curler just wide of the left post with Halldorsson beaten.
80 min “In the airport on Madeira,” says Charles Antaki, “the Ronaldo bust has developed an extra inch of leer.”
Is it now stroking its chin as well?
79 min A lofted pass into the box is brought down beautifully by the flying Messi, who is about to rattle a shot at goal from the left edge of the six-yard box when Saevarsson sneaks round to make a vital interception.
77 min Pavon goes down in the area after a challenge from Saevarsson. The referee berates him for simulation but there was definitely contact. Whether the contact was sufficient for a penalty, I’m not sure, but it was surely enough to merit a VAR review. Instead, play carries on as normal.
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76 min Argentina make another change: the anonymous Angel Di Maria is replaced by Cristian Pavon. And Iceland bring on Ari Freyr Skulason for the weary Aron Gunnarsson.
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75 min Banega has made a difference since coming on, with much greater attacking intent and quality than Biglia. But Iceland are still defending exceedingly well.
74 min “That penalty,” says Maria Bruschi, “is proof positive that Messi can no longer be compared to CR7!!”
Oh lord, please don’t start that again. I still haven’t got through all the abusive emails from last night.
73 min Meza is fouled 28 yards from goal, to the right of centre. Messi curls it into the wall.
72 min Banega’s wobbling long-range shot is comfortably held by Halldorsson. Argentina are pressing constantly but they will fear a late sting.
70 min Iceland can’t get out. It’s all Argentina now – but they are still struggling to find an eye in the Icelandic needle. The two best chances have come from a mis-hit shot and a nothing cross.
66 min Messi wafts a 30-yard free kick high over the bar.
65 min Just before the penalty, Iceland brought on Gislason for the injured Johann Gudmundsson.
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MESSI'S PENALTY IS SAVED BY HALLDORSSON!
64 min It was a poor penalty from Messi, placed at saveable height to his left, and Halldorsson flew across goal to palm it away! This Iceland team are ridiculous.
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PENALTY TO ARGENTINA!
63 min A cross is dumped into the box, where Meza goes down after a collision with Magnusson. I’m not absolutely sure it was a penalty but the referee had no doubts and it certainly wasn’t something that should have been overturned by VAR.
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62 min Iceland break dangerously, only for the usually precise Gylfi Sigurdsson to overhit a through ball to Finnbogason. With the correct weight he would have been clear on goal.
59 min The contrast in styles between these two teams is fascinating. It makes chalk and cheese seem like siblings in comparison. Messi finds Banega, whose shot from the edge of the area is desperately blocked by the sliding Ragnar Sigurdsson. The human spirit is strong in these ones.
58 min “Hi Rob,” says David Wall. “Niall Mullen is wrong, those were the tactics that Australia adopted earlier on (I don’t even remember their striker ever being mentioned in commentary). They made no effort at all to do anything other than stopping France doing anything constructive (and they did it very well). Iceland on the other hand are belting forward quickly and in numbers when they do win the ball. That’s a tactic to try to win a game against opponents who keep the ball better than you. Australia’s was a tactic to try not to lose. Both are perfectly respectable, but they are different.”
There’s only one way to settle this. Gentlemen, prepare your chalkboards.
55 min Messi is playing pretty deep at times, almost like an old-fashioned playmaker rather than a No10. He accepts the ball in that deep position, surges forward and beats three players in a space the size of a phonebox. Eventually somebody gets a foot in on the edge of the area and the ball deflects to Aguero, whose shot is blocked at the expense of corner. Moments later, a fierce shot from Aguero is again blocked.
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54 min Argentina make their first substitution, with the progressive Ever Banega replacing Lucas Biglia.
53 min “You’re wrong about Caballero,” says Zafar Sobhan. “He did really well with both those saves, and was just unlucky with the first one.”
Nice one, thanks.
52 min A good spell for Iceland. Gylfi Sigurdsson, on the left of the box, whacks a cross that hits Otamendi right in the personal space and goes behind for a corner.
Sigurdsson’s corner is punched away by Caballero and tossed back into the box, where it seems to hit the hand of an Argentina defender. Ah, in fact, it was headed onto the hand of Salvio from close range, which is why a penalty wasn’t given.
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50 min Croatia meet Nigeria in the other Group D match tonight, and you can read all about it here.
49 min Bjarnason’s dangerous cross drifts just over the head of Finnbogason on the six-yard line. I think he’d have been given offside had he touched it though.
48 min The pattern of the second half is as expected, with loads of Argentinian possession. Henrik Larsson, a pundit on ITV, made a good point that Argentina’s build-up play has been far too slow. Every now and then Messi has put a rocket up their derriere but that’s about it. Meanwhile, Otamendi heads Di Maria’s outswinging corner over the bar from 12 yards. That was a decent if tough opportunity.
47 min “I know this was yesterday,” begins Matt Emerson, “to continue the best games of the Group stages riff, how about Senegal 3-3 Uruguay in 2002? Senegal lead 3-0 with a clearly offside goal and a dodgy penalty. Uruguay get back to 3-3 with their own awful pen and need another goal to go through. Forlan missed a one-on-one at 3-2 and Morales heads wide in injury time. One of the best games I’ve ever seen and one I regularly bore people about...”
Yes, great shout - that was a deranged classic. Morales’s miss was bizarre. I still think Argentina 2-1 France in 1978 is my favourite, because the stakes and quality were so high.
46 min Peep peep! Argentina begin the second half.
42 min Argentina appeal again for a penalty when Salvio’s low cross hits the hand of the falling Sigurdsson. He knew nothing about it, and VAR supports the original decision. Glenn Hoddle makes the excellent point that VAR is having an impact on the concentration levels of players.
Half-time chit chat
“I can’t get on board with this Iceland love-in,” says Niall Mullen. “Frustrating a better side by putting 10 men behind the ball is an entirely legitimate tactic but not one I really want to watch all that often.”
But the beards, Niall. The beards.
“In a New York bar filled with Iceland fans (New York has at least one bar for every country in the World Cup),” says Richard McGahey. “They lifted the roof off when Iceland scored.”
Half-time reading
Half time: Argentina 1-1 Iceland
Peep peep! That was great fun, and Iceland deserve to be level against one of the favourites for the tournament. See you in 10 minutes for the second half.
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45 min Another chance for Iceland! A long ball into the box falls nicely for Gylfi Sigurdsson, who dances past Rojo and opens his body to slide a low shot towards the far corner. Caballero makes another unconvincing save, palming it into a dangerous area, and Finnbogasson goes flying after a block from Mascherano.
I think it was a fair block from Mascherano, who got himself between the man and the ball, though Iceland wanted a penalty. Moments later, Glyfi Sigurdsson screwed a volley wide from the edge of the box. That was a decent chance for a player of his technical quality.
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44 min The passing stats tell the story of this half: Argentina 333-70 Iceland.
43 min “Without sounding patronising, Iceland beating Argentina wouldn’t be THAT big a shock, would it?” says Ger McCarthy. “Or am I being patronising to those loveable underdogs from the land of ice...”
It’s basically impossible not to patronise Iceland, even though 99.94 per cent of the goodwill towards them is entirely sincere.
40 min Meza drags a cross towards Biglia, who goes over and appeals for a penalty. The defender got plenty of the ball, so it’s a corner to Argentina. Messi swings it into the arms of Halldorsson.
40 min Messi injects some life into the match, playing a give-and-go with Tagliafico before exploding into the box and winning a corner. Meza makes a mess of it.
38 min “Iceland’s ability to work as a team is truly remarkable,” says Adam Kline-Schoder. “It’s a team so easily dismissed, and yet so difficult to beat. Please don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly admire Messi and plenty of the other Argentine players, but Iceland just give me hope that teamwork and togetherness is a good way to go!”
37 min Messi is floating around in that No10 position, though he has been reasonably well policed by Hallfredsson and Gunnarsson. The TBOF are so close together; I wonder if Argentina should look at a few more switches of play.
35 min “I think Hubert’s on to something,” says Scott Bassett. “But it’s not the dragons. It’s the elves.”
34 min Lots of Argentina possession. Iceland are clever at picking their moments to attack. For the second time in a few minutes, the stretching Meza just fails to control a searching through pass, this time from Otamendi.
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33 min Biglia curls over the bar from distance. Though Argentina have been the better team, Iceland do look a threat on the counter-attack. A clumsy threat admittedly, with all the elegance of two drunk blokes playing Jenga, but a threat nonetheless.
32 min Don’t take this the wrong way, Argentina fans, but I think I’m in love with Iceland. Their spirit is so infectious, and they can wear beards without looking like try-hard hipster gits.
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31 min “Where’s the Icelandic commentary when you need it?” says Dileep Premachandran. “English commentary so inadequate for such moments. Where’s Guðmundur Benediktsson when you need him most?”
I’m sorry mate, I’m doing my best. We just don’t have any Icelandic people on staff.
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30 min Iceland get their first opportunity for a long throw. It’s flung into the box and dealt with well by Otamendi.
29 min “I suppose it probably was a penalty, and I think goal-line technology is a good thing, but the combination of the two deciding the France-Australia game left me (like Mrs. Millings on our wedding night) cold and dissatisfied,” says Mac Millings. “I think I preferred the pre-tech post-game emotions of anger and impotence (see, also, previous parentheses). Apologies for talking about an entirely different game to the one that’s actually happening.”
Yes, I thought the referee made a clear and obvious error by overturning what wasn’t a clear and obvious error. Wait until VAR controversially overturns Luis Suarez’s 120th-minute equaliser against England.
28 min A couple of corners from Argentina, who are back where they started before Aguero’s goal. Otamendi heads the second straight into the loving embrace of Halldorsson. It was a quarter chance at best, 15 yards out and running away from goal.
25 min A beautiful, driven through pass by Mascherano takes four or five defenders out of the game and just evades Meza in the box.
It was a slightly scruffy goal, but who cares about that? Gylfi Sigurdsson’s low cross shot from the right of the box was palmed away unconvincingly by Caballero and fell straight to Finnbogason, who steered it calmly into the net from six yards.
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GOAL! Argentina 1-1 Iceland (Finbogason 23)
Iceland are level!
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22 min “I have a theory why great football nations (and England) suddenly to mush (or England) when they face Iceland,” says Hubert O’Hearn. “I suspect that the great pre-Celtic gods have been summoned and Iceland opponents see dragons where once there were defenders and howling Valkyrie embodied in strikers. They shrink in terror. Or Iceland is really well-drilled. Take your pick really.”
I don’t like to sit on the fence, but I can see both sides.
21 min Messi plays a one-two with an Iceland defender before curling a good shot from 25 yards that is well held by the diving Halldorsson.
20 min “10:18am in the west of Argentina,” says Sonia Garcia. “There is no traffic at all, a wonderful World Cup morning! So exciting, so many memories, so much to come!”
It got even more exciting at 10.19am.
Sergio Aguero scores his first ever World Cup goal. Rojo’s mis-hit low shot came to him near the penalty spot, and he reacted so quickly to control the ball, make space and finally batter a rising left-footed shot past Halldorsson from 12 yards. That was a brilliant finish.
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GOAL! Argentina 1-0 Iceland (Aguero 19)
Pick that out!
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17 min In a surprising development, Messi looks by far the most dangerous attacker in the Argentina team. He teases Hallfredsson 25 yards from goal before shifting the ball infield and smacking a left-footed shot that is punched away by Halldorsson. It was a comfortable save.
16 min Messi dumps Gunnarsson on his backside, a fair challenge that sparks an Argentina attack. Eventually Messi is dispossessed while trying to slither through two defenders in the box.
13 min After a long spell of Argentina possession, Otamendi drives over the bar from 30 yards. That’s the cue for some zealous thunderclaps from the Iceland fans. The atmosphere is sensational.
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10 min Just before Bjarnason’s chance, Finnbogason slapped a difficult half-volley over the bar. Iceland are full of intent when they win the ball.
9 min Bjarnason misses a wonderful chance! Iceland pressed Argentina in their own box, forcing the stretching Caballero to kick the ball anywhere he could. It went to an Iceland player 25 yards from goal, whereupon five or six players swarmed forward. Gudmundsson’s snapshot was deflected towards Bjarnason, who screwed wide from 10 yards with only Caballero to beat. He should have scored.
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8 min Tagliafico almost scores an ingenious goal. Messi’s poor free-kick from an inside-right position came to him at shin height, with nothing really on. He dived forward away from goal and flicked a speculative back header that curled just wide of the far post.
8 min Messi is thrown to the floor by Gunnarsson, a move very similar to one I saw in that Andre the Giant film the other night. Iceland are really putting themselves about.
7 min As if we’re not watching Iceland in the World Cup! Sometimes, life is good.
5 min “Meza’s a chuffing great player,” says Matt Dony. “Youse are all chuffing idiots.”
4 min Messi is unhappy with the ball, which the umpires have agreed to replace. That happened in the France game as well. Messi, armed with the new ball, swings a free-kick into the area that bounces off an unsighted defender and rebounds a few yards wide of the far post.
4 min Lots of early possession for Argentina, with Iceland’s TBOF shuffling from side to side like the aliens in Space Invaders.
3 min “Such disgraceful bias,” says Paul Griffin. “The so-called Manchester Guardian might as well change its name to The Keflavik Gazette.”
2 min Messi has his first touch of the World Cup, a simple pass to Salvio.
2 min “Twenty years ago, the closest Biglia and Meza would have got to the team bus would have been carrying the bags,” says Dileep Premachandran. “From Redondo and Veron to this...how the mighty fall.”
I don’t know that much about them but I’m surprised Banega doesn’t get a game. And I bet Seba could still waft some insouciant outside-of-the-foot passes, even at the age of 43.
1 min Peep peep! Iceland, in white, get the match under way. Argentina are in their dark blue away kit.
After a stirring, lusty rendition of the Iceland anthem, the players take off their tracksuit tops and get ready to rumble.
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“I’m a struggling third-year student stuck in the library writing my dissertation all weekend...” says Mirte Lucia. “Your live blog is what’s keeping me going! GO VIKINGS!”
The players emerge from the tunnel, with both sides looking very relaxed. Right here, right now, their professional lives are bursting with potential.
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“I was in Iceland just last week (to change planes) and a more miserable landscape of rain and volcanic detritus I have never witnessed,” says Ian Copestake, who has lived in England. “Argentina haven’t got a chance.”
“Afternoon Rob,” says Matt Loten. “If the rumours are true, and Messi has dictated the team selection to Sampaoli, then I don’t hold much hope for Messi the manager. It doesn’t look much cop to me, Aguero and the main man aside. Then again, maybe it’s a brilliant ploy, so that Messi can lead a bang-average Argentina side to ultimate glory, ala Diego in ‘86, thus settling the ‘who was better’ debate once and for all? Messi, you diabolical...”
Nah, he’s the good guy #effnuance
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“Hallo from San Antonio, TX, equidistant from Iceland and Argentina!” says Sam. “Much as I admire Messi’s skill, I’m cheering the Vikings of Iceland on. Having met them in this country and theirs, I can vouch for their lovely character, amazing land, and brilliant capacity to drink/celebrate. In Reykjavík we watched Hamlet in Icelandic, then retired to the pub/club under the national theater. So, will you be waxing Icelandic in the MBM today? Áfram Ísland!”
I won’t just be waxing Icelandic; I’ll be more bloody biased than Mundo Deportivo.
“Oh, Guardian,” writes Claire Adas, “why would you have
Master Marius
Rob Smyth do MBMs for both Portugal AND Argentina. Even Mundo Deportivo is less biassed. I’m switching to their MBM, and I don’t speak Spanish.”
“Your Argentina World Cup XI,” says Jacob Steinberg. “Where’s Demichelis you clown?”
Here’s Amy Lawrence’s report from Kazan, where France beat Australia 2-1 with technology grabbing a couple of assists.
Do you remember the first time?
“Hello Rob!” says Kári Tulinius. “Seeing my country play at the World Cup, against Messi’s Argentina no less, is like a waking dream. I was among the spectators when Iceland faced newly crowned world champions France in 1998. Seeing Iceland hold on for a 1-1 draw was beyond my wildest hopes.
“The Icelandic goal was due to an awful goalkeeping mistake and the French goal was created by Zidane walking through the Icelandic defense like a cat past marionettes. I feel that today Iceland will probably need all the defensive errors they’re presented with because Messi is capable of making any defender look like a wooden puppet. Enjoy the game!”
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Pre-match reading
The teams
Argentina (4-2-3-1) Caballero; Salvio, Otamendi, Rojo, Tagliafico; Biglia, Mascherano; Meza, Messi, Di Maria; Aguero.
Iceland (4-4-1-1) Halldorsson; Saevarsson, Arnason, R Sigurdsson, Magnusson; Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, Hallfredsson, Bjarnason; G Sigurdsson; Finnbogason.
Referee Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
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This happened a minute ago, at the precise moment Phil Neville started talking about VAR
BBC World Cup coverage has peaked. pic.twitter.com/Fl08hPlX5U
— Robert Sutherland (@RoDuSu) June 16, 2018
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France have beaten Australia 2-1 in the opening Group C match, but they were not convincing and needed a VAR controversy and an own goal to get the win.
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Pick your all-time Iceland World Cup XI!
Oh.
Pick your all-time Argentina World Cup XI!
Since you asked, here’s mine. I’ve based it purely on World Cup performances, hence the omission of greats like Di Stefano, Redondo and Messi. And I would have Burruchaga and Maradona swapping places on the graphic.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to part two of World Cup Super Saturday: a fascinating match between Argentina, the World Cup’s erratic underachievers, and the debutants Iceland. Group D may be aptly named, because you can make a decent case for all of Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria progressing. And if that happens, it really will be the Group of Discombobulation.
Sorry, where was I. Oh yes: it’s your move, Lionel. This afternoon, Messi has a 90-minute right of reply to Cristiano Ronaldo’s chin-stroking last night. He won the Golden Ball at the last World Cup but that was a bit of a sympathy vote and he has unfinished business with this tournament.
All tournaments, in fact. Messi was six years old when Argentina last won anything, the 1993 Copa America. When you think of the players they’ve had in that time (Argentina 4-3-2-1: Goycochea; Zanetti, Ruggeri, Ayala, Sorin; Veron, Redondo, Di Maria; Messi, Maradona; Batistuta), it’s a level of underachievement that makes England seem like star pupils by comparison.
There’s a lot of pressure on Argentina, and absolutely none on Iceland. They are in Russia to make plenty of noise, and maybe repeat their intrepid run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. Pretty much everything about them is great, and today they will become the 80th team to play at a World Cup. The first person to name the other 79 wins a shuddering epiphany about the state of their life.
Kick off is at 2pm BST, 4pm in Moscow.
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