It was not a great beginning for Argentina in the World Cup as they had lost 3 important points against Iceland who are playing their first ever World Cup this year. This match was probably the easiest match for Argentina in the Group Stage in the World Cup in Russia. The match could have easily gone in the favour of Argentina if the so called greatest player in this planet, Lionel Messi has not missed the penalty. Sergio Aguero has given the Argentine side the lead in the first half. It was a great shot by the Manchester City player after turning from the pass of the Manchester United center back Marcos Rojo. But Iceland have equalised with a brilliant team game. The first half of the match has ended with a scoreline 1-1.
After that, in the second half Lionel Messi has missed the golden opportunity to give his side the important lead in the match as he has failed to convert the penalty kick from the spot. Iceland were brilliant in the defense and their tactical football have awarded them a vital point in the Group Stage of the World Cup in Russia against the mighty Argentina side. The other two teams in this Group D are Nigeria and Croatia.
They will also look to take the advantage of the result of this match. In the opening match of Argentina, the strategy of their coach Jorge Sampaoli was clearly misleading. Jorge Sampaoli has benched two star Juventus players Gonzalo Higuain and Dybala. Angel Di Maria is now just a shadow of his past form. The time has probably come for Argentina to give chance to some youngsters like Cristian Pavon. There was no meaning of keeping someone like Maximiliano Meza till the 83rd minute of the match. It is seeming that the injury of Manuel Lanzini has affected the morale of the team very much. Enzo Perez was taken as his replacement ; but surprisingly he was not used in the match against Iceland.
There were lots of speculations over not selecting the top striker Mauro Icardi in the 23 men squad of Argentina in the World Cup. Mauro Icardi was in great form in the previous season for Inter Milan. The sources told that, there is a personal problem between the team management and the player. This was the reason of his exclusion for the World Cup squad of Argentina.
On the other hand, this Argentina side is fully dependent on Lionel Messi. The players are giving all the passes to this man. It is impossible for a single player to dribble past three or four defenders every time he is getting the ball. The other senior players of Argentina should take the responsibility from the next match onwards. Croatia are currently situated at the top of the group by beating Nigeria with a 2-0 margin. Argentina will face Croatia in the next group stage match. If they lose any point in that match, it will be very much crucial for them in terms of qualification in the knockout stage of the biggest event of football.
