Messi strangled by Argentina pressure, while rival Ronaldo embraces expectation

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  • Lionel Messi missed a penalty as Iceland grabbed a deserved 1-1 draw against two-time World Cup winners Argentina.

    Sergio Aguero’s opener was cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogason’s predatory finish before half-time as the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament made a stirring debut on football’s biggest stage.

    And goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson joined Finnbogason in the country’s footballing folklore by thwarting Messi from the penalty spot in the second half to preserve a memorable point.

    Here, we examine some of the key talking points from the Group-D clash.

    ICE GRIP OF FUNDAMENTALS

    Argentina v Iceland: Group D - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

    Perusing the plethora of team guides in the pre-World Cup build-up there was one common piece of analysis on Iceland – limited.

    But the contextual talk of population sizes and their enchanting thunder clap pulls a veil over what is a well-drilled, organised outfit which is capable of punishing and exploiting opponents.

    Granted, they play defensively, boss Heimir Hallgrimsson employing a fixed 4-5-1 against Argentina and even switching to five at the back in the latter stages. But there is an art to defending well.

    It’s not just about simply having numbers behind the ball and hoping for the best. Iceland are disciplined and they carried out a discernible plan which was to allow Messi possession when he was deep and then suffocate his options to release the ball.

    Their bodyshape to limit the sight of goal whenever an Argentine player was within range was superb as, too, their dominance in the air from crosses into the box.

    Defending is an acquired taste but when done well deserves appreciation.

    If you contrast that to Argentina, Jorge Sampaoli deployed a wealth of attackers but there was no craft or guile from any player not named Messi.

    It’s no use having the numbers, whether in attack or defence, if not carried out in the right manner. Essentially, one side defended immensely, the other attacked poorly.

    Iceland’s aim is be the most disciplined and organised team at his tournament and to wed those qualities to well-worked counter-attacks and set-piece delivery. Few sides will want to face them in Russia.

    MESSI’S MENTAL BLOCK

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    It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to witness Messi missing from the spot.

    From 103 penalties taken for both club and country, his latest denial was the 24th time he’s failed to dispatch a penalty. The question is, why?

    It is only natural to compare the Argentine to his Portuguese rival Cristiano Ronaldo and when it comes to their ability to step up from 12 yards, the latter is far better, scoring 85 per cent of his 123 spot-kicks – an eight-per-cent rise on Messi.

    And it serves to point to the mentality of the two stars. Talking purely in terms of ability, Messi is near supernatural and is arguably the most-talented footballer we’ve ever seen.

    But there is a steely determination and focus to Ronaldo which is virtually unrivalled. Simply put, he doesn’t simply shoulder pressure, but he embraces and thrives on it.

    For a cerebral player such as Messi, the same force is perhaps a block on his ability because it wasn’t that he played poorly against Iceland, he was the best player on the pitch after all, it’s that he just was not himself.

    Messi cannoning a late free-kick against the Iceland wall was a symbolic illustration of his performance – he simply hit a barrier both mentally and physically.

    ARGENTINA’S DEFENSIVE ISSUES

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    This clash provided a clear illumination of virtues like unity, cohesion and solidarity contrasted to vices such as division and detachment.

    Iceland’s centre-back partnership consisted of a defender who finished 11th in the Russian Premier League with FC Rostov (Ragnar Sigurdsson) and a 35-year-old recently released by Aberdeen (Kari Arnason).

    It hardly speaks to a world-class defensive heart on paper, yet they formed an elite pairing in comparison to the disconnected Nicolas Otamendi and Marcos Rojo.

    The latter in particular was uncomfortable and looked shattered to pieces against the physicality of the Icemen.

    The yawning schism between the two was alarming on occasion. Against more attack-minded sides, it will be exploited.

    The same distinction can be drawn from the two goalkeepers. Willy Caballero really struggled and panicked when he failed to collect a sliced effort from Glyfi Sigurdsson which ended with Finnbogason’s historic finish.

    His opposite number, Hannes Thor Halldorsson, however, seems molded from the same battered rock of his homeland as he weathered storm after storm, staying calm to produce two excellent saves – one from the spot, the other from substitute Cristian Pavon’s late strike.

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