Lionel Messi had a penalty saved as Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by Iceland in their World Cup opener.

Messi's chance came and went after 63 minutes when keeper Hannes Halldorsson guessed right to parry the spot-kick and earn a hard-fought point.

The Barcelona star had created the game's first moment of danger when, with six minutes gone, his free kick bounced off a defender and span wide.

A couple of minutes later, Argentina came closer when Nicolas Tagliafico sent in a flicked header that curled just past the far post.

But the best chance of the opening minutes fell to Iceland when a shot from outside the area after nine minutes took a deflection and fell to Birkir Bjarnason, who scuffed wide with just keeper Willy Caballero to beat.

Messi, struggling to find space as Iceland closed him down relentlessly, created a bit of room after 17 minutes but his whipped shot from outside the area was beaten away by Halldorsson.

Argentina, though, broke through within two minutes of that as Sergio Aguero scored his first-ever World Cup goal, getting away from a defender as the ball broke to him and lashing a shot high into the net.

Messi tried his luck from outside the area soon afterwards, his curling strike held by Halldorsson -- but, out of the blue, Iceland were level after 23 minutes, Alfreo Finnbogason stabbing home amid defensive chaos. Gylfi Sigurdsson produced the initial cross, which deflected and eluded Caballero before falling to Finnbogason, who struck from close range.

Nicolas Otamendi looped a header straight at the keeper as Argentina tried to respond, with Lucas Biglia then shooting over from long range.

Sigurdsson had a low shot saved by Caballero as an entertaining first half came towards a conclusion, and the same player blasted a half-volley well wide.

Argentina's Angel Di Maria created the first threat of the second half, winning a corner after a run down the left, but Otamendi steered his header well over.

Back came Iceland, Bjarnason's cross from the left just evading Finnbogason, and Argentina made an early switch when Biglia was replaced by Ever Banega.

Aguero was crowded out as he tried to get a strike in from the right of the area, and the Manchester City striker saw another attempt cannon to safety soon afterwards.

Lionel Messi's missed penalty added to a frustrating World Cup opener for Argentina. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Messi found Banega on the edge of the area as the hour approached, but his shot was blocked by Ragnar Sigurdsson and Messi's follow-up cross was hammered clear.

Argentina then had their penalty when Aguero was barged to the ground by Hordur Magnusson -- but Halldorsson guessed right to save Messi's strike.

Rurik Gislason came on for the injured Johann Berg Gudmundsson in an enforced Iceland change, and Messi curled a free kick over as he tried to make amends for his failure to score from the spot.

Aguero shot straight at Magnusson before, with 15 minutes to go, Argentina brought off Di Maria and replaced him with Cristian Pavon and Iceland switched Gunnarsson for Ari Freyr Skulason.

Almost immediately, Pavon appeared to be clipped inside the area -- but the referee waved play on, and no VAR review was forthcoming.

Nine minutes from the end, Messi curled a superb strike narrowly wide from the edge of the D, and Argentina threw Gonzalo Higuain into the fray as they pressed for a late winner.

Halldorsson made another good stop to claw away Pavon's dangerous cross and Iceland replaced goal scorer Finnbogason with Bjorn Sigurdarson and they held on despite Messi firing narrowly over in stoppage time.</s>Here’s why Argentina will destroy Iceland in their opening match | World Cup on FOX</s>Iceland put up an incredible performance against Argentina. Here are three takeaways from the exciting match.

For the first time in their history, Iceland were playing in the World Cup. The small nation is not expecting much from the first-ever campaign. In Group D, they face Argentina, Nigeria, and Croatia. All their opponents are noticeably stronger and it will be hard to envisage Iceland making it to the Round of 16. However, in the team's opening match against Argentina, they held the South Americans to a crucial draw, pocketing a valuable point from the match. If they can beat either Croatia or Nigeria, it is possible for Heimir Hallgrímsson's men to advance.

Jorge Sampaoli named a strong starting eleven for his side. Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria had scored a combined 83 international goals which were more than the goals scored by the whole Iceland team. With Sergio Aguero also in the line-up, Argentina looked extremely strong in terms of attack. It did not take long for the deadlock to be broken as Aguero scored a wonderful goal from open play. In the three World Cup competitions that the Manchester City forward has participated, it was his first time scoring and he would be hoping that many more would come his way.

Iceland had come a long way before the team made it into the World Cup. With a population size of just 334,000, the country became the smallest nation to play in the competition. The team endured a difficult afternoon as they played against a talented Argentinian side. Ultimately, the team can be glad that their game plan succeeded and hopes of advancing remain. Here are three takeaways from Iceland's draw with Argentina.

#3 Iceland does not need possession to get a positive result

Argentina dominated possession and by the end of the first half, the South Americans had 80% possession of the ball. Despite having so many more shots, the score was level at 1-1. The Icelanders sat behind the ball throughout the match and soaked up all the pressure. They packed everyone in the midfield and the backline, limiting the space that the Argentines had.

Whenever Messi and his team-mates had the ball, Iceland would be sure to close down on them. Regardless of the number of fouls they had to commit, the whole team only had one aim. The aim was to keep their opponents at bay. Eventually, things worked their way and Iceland received an invaluable point from the match.

The Icelanders, themselves, had been lucky. The team was not given many chances to get into their opponent's half, but they moved the ball quickly and caught Argentina on the counter-attack. It did not take long for Finnbogason to equalize for his side and that was the final goal of the match. The 29-year-old forward wrote his name into history, becoming the first Iceland international player to score in the World Cup.</s>High summer in Reykjavik: temperatures in the forties; a driving rain. Gathering in a square in the city center to watch Iceland take on Argentina in its first ever World Cup, people wore parkas. By the time the match began, my hands were numb. After about ten minutes, a bedraggled bride-to-be—mascara smeared, water dripping from her curled hair—straightened her tiara and declared that the party was moving to a bar. The crowd parted to let the girls go. Then it closed. The rain grew more persistent, and as the bodies huddled closer, the temperature rose.

On the screen, Iceland briefly gained possession—a rare occurrence—and the chant began. “EEEEEES-LAND! EEEESLAND!” Every time a man in a white uniform poked the ball away from Argentina, or every time the great Lionel Messi failed to capitalize on a chance, the crowd erupted as if Iceland had scored. With Argentina dominating possession, there weren’t many other chances for cheering. It didn’t matter. In Iceland, survival is sometimes as impressive as a goal.

Ascribing national character traits to national soccer teams is irresistible. Everyone knows the story of Iceland by now, the story of how a country with a tiny population (roughly four per cent the size of New York City) transformed itself from one of the worst teams in the world into one of the most beloved, if not quite one of the best. There are countless stories about how the team’s coach is a former dentist who still moonlights in his old practice—for relaxation, he claims. The goalie is a former film director, and one of the players is a part-time salt packer. Every story includes an account of how the team’s most loyal fans gather with the coach at a local bar before games, where he reveals the lineup and secret game plan, turning fandom into a kind of sacred trust. It is well known, too, how the nation built state-of-the-art training centers around the country, trained scores of coaches, and cultivated a culture of hard work and teamwork, a closeness born of familiarity and necessity.

The oft-repeated moral of Iceland’s story is how it turned weakness into strength. Smallness became tightness. A folkloric bent gave rise to a new tradition, the breathtaking unison of the Viking clap. The weather and isolation made for toughness. The exploding popularity of the team among non-Icelanders mirrored the nation’s popularity with tourists. There was even something about the team’s strategy of holding back, withstanding the opposing team’s relentless pressure, and then suddenly organizing into a quick and lethal counterattack, that seemed emblematic of the country’s unique landscape: the monotonous moonscape interrupted by iridescent mountains, geysers, and waterfalls. The team plays with the latent energy, the quiet tension, and the attendant risk of a volcano.

How much pressure could they withstand? Nearly every third word out of the announcer’s mouth seemed to be Messi; it was the only word in the sing-song Icelandic voices around me that I could pick out. But it was the striker Sergio Agüero who freed himself nearly twenty minutes in, corralled the ball, and struck a slightly off-balance shot with his left foot, and scored. The crowd reacted with disappointment, but only just. Argentina was a great soccer power; Argentina had Messi; Iceland had the friendly dentist and salt packer and film director and some impressive beards. Besides, it all seemed part of the plan, like the rain and the cold—because within five minutes, Iceland scored its first ever World Cup goal.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal. After the team’s star, Gylfi Sigurðsson, took a low, hard shot from the right, Alfreð Finnbogason struck the loose rebound into the back of the net. The volcano erupted.

As the game progressed, the team seemed to stop even the pretense of trying to score. The goal was to thwart Messi, to clear the box, to run down the time. All the crowd’s energy went toward supporting the goalkeeper, Hannes Halldórsson. When Halldórsson blocked Messi’s penalty kick, early in the second half, the crowd responded as raucously as it had when Iceland scored. Finally, the last ball was booted, and the game ended with the score tied, 1–1. In Reykjavik, as in Moscow, the arms shot up in wide “V”s, and the gritty low grunt began. “HOOOO,” it went, faster and faster, before dissolving. An old man with a thick white beard turned around and flashed a grin, showing a dark gap where his front teeth had been, and gave a thumbs-up. The team had won.</s>Argentina had a frustrating draw with World Cup debutants Iceland on Saturday after Lionel Messi missed a penalty.

Messi blew a gilt-edged opportunity to seal victory when he missed a second-half penalty, with the Group D match ending 1-1 after Iceland's Alfred Finnbogason cancelled out Sergio Aguero's opening goal.

These are four things we learnt from the game.

Argentina could not break a very organised Iceland side take only a point from their opening game of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

This is the first time that Argentina have failed to win their opening game of the World Cup since they lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

There is a positive here as they went on to reach the final of that World Cup.

Playing in their first ever World Cup game, Iceland have taken to the big stage like a duck to water, holding a very talented Argentina to a 1-1 draw.

The manner in which they responded after going behind showed they were not fazed against the Messi-led Argentina.

Lionel Messi missed a second-half penalty in the 1-1 draw, his first spot-kick in the World Cup, excluding shootouts.

Sergio Aguero finally has a World Cup goal to his name after his 19th-minute goal for Argentina against Iceland.

It took the striker some time as this was his 9th World Cup game.</s>World Cup: Iceland conceded a goal early against Argentina but just moments later they scored their maiden World Cup goal via the boot of Alfred Finnbogason.

ARGENTINA coach Jorge Sampaoli refused to blame Lionel Messi for a “frustrating” draw with World Cup debutants Iceland after he missed a penalty, backing his star man to deliver.

Messi blew a gilt-edged opportunity to seal victory when he missed a second-half penalty, with the Group D match ending 1-1 after Iceland’s Alfred Finnbogason cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opening goal.

It was a major embarrassment for the two-time world champions and raises questions about their ability to claim football’s biggest prize for the first time since 1986.

As Diego Maradona looked on at Moscow’s Spartan stadium, Messi also failed to respond to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick for Portugal against Spain a day earlier.

Messi is yet to win a major international tournament and time is running out with his 31st birthday looming.

But Sampaoli said Argentina would regroup, beginning with their next match against Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod, and move on from the Iceland disappointment.

“There’s a certain amount of frustration when you come to win a game and don’t get there,” he said.

“We were enthusiastic but we played against a structured team.”

He refused to single out Messi for his penalty miss.

“Evaluating Leo’s performance is very difficult because they played almost the whole game in their own half,” he said.

“I know he’s committed to helping us get into the next round.”

While the result was not on the scale of that Iceland produced to eliminate England at Euro 2016, it was a major boost for the tiny nation, who retain hopes of advancing from a group that also includes Nigeria and Croatia.

The island nation of 330,000 is the smallest country ever to qualify for the finals but emphatically showed they can mix it with the heavyweights of the game.

“We were playing against one of the best teams in the world, who had the best player in the world,” said goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.

“It’s especially important for us because it helped us get a point, which is important for us to reach our goal to get out of the group.”

Iceland’s next opponents are Nigeria in Volgograd.

In front of a raucous crowd at the 45,000-capacity venue, Iceland launched into some early physical challenges and rattled Argentina.

They hit on the counter and gave the South Americans a scare when Bjorn Sigurdarson pounced on a loose ball only to rifle his shot just wide of the post.

Aguero settled Argentine nerves in the 19th minute when he latched onto Marcos Rojo’s pass in the box, turned and hammered home with his left foot.

True to form, Iceland fought back and Finnbogason netted the equaliser four minutes later, pouncing after Argentine keeper Willy Caballero parried Gylfi Sigurdsson’s shot for a classic poacher’s goal.

Argentina continued to press but Messi was subdued in the face of the muscular Icelandic defence and the teams went into the break on even terms.

The Barcelona man looked furious as he led his team out for the second half but the Argentines still struggled to make the most of their territorial domination.

They appeared to have secured a breakthrough when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after Hordur Magnusson brought down Maximiliano Meza in the 63rd minute.

Messi stepped up for the kick but Halldorsson guessed correctly and palmed away the Argentine skipper’s side-footed effort.

His free-kick in the final moments of the game was deflected off the Iceland wall and the Barcelona talisman trudged off the pitch dejected..</s>ARGENTINA were held to a draw by World Cup debutants Iceland on Saturday, with Lionel Messi blowing a gilt-edged opportunity for victory when he missed a penalty.

Sergio Aguero scored an eye-catching opener for the two-time world champions in the 19th minute but it was almost immediately cancelled out by Alfred Finnbogason, whose team then held on in the face of immense pressure.

It was a major embarrassment for Argentina and raises questions about their ability to claim football’s biggest prize for the first time since 1986.

As Diego Maradona looked on at Moscow’s Spartan stadium, Messi also failed to respond to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick for Portugal against Spain a day earlier.

Messi is yet to win a major international tournament and time is running out with his 31st birthday looming.

While the result was not on the scale of that Iceland produced to eliminate England from Euro 2016, it was a major boost for the tiny nation, who retain hopes of advancing from a group that also includes Nigeria and Croatia.

The island nation of 330,000 is the smallest country to ever qualify for the finals but emphatically showed they can mix it with the heavyweights.

In front of a raucous crowd at the 45,000-capacity venue, Iceland launched into some early physical challenges and rattled Argentina.

They hit on the counter and gave Argentina a scare when Bjorn Sigurdarson pounced on a loose ball only to rifle his shot just wide of the post.

Aguero settled Argentine nerves in the 19th minute when he latched onto Marcos Rojo’s pass in the box, turned and hammered home with his left foot.

True to form, Iceland fought back and Finnbogason netted the equaliser four minutes later, pouncing when Argentine keeper Wilfredo Caballero parried away Gylfi Sigurdsson’s shot for a classic poacher’s goal.

Argentina continued to press but Messi was subdued in the face of muscular Icelandic defence and the teams went into the break on even terms.

Messi looked furious as he led his team out for the second half but the Argentines still struggled to dominate.

They appeared to have secured a breakthrough when Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot after Rurik Gislason brought Maximiliano Meza down in the 63rd minute.

Messi stepped up for the kick but Hannes Halldorsson guessed correctly and palmed away the Argentine skipper’s sidefooted effort.

His free-kick in the final moments of the game was deflected off the Iceland wall and the Barcelona talisman trudged off the pitch dejected.

Argentina must regroup before facing Croatia on Nizhny Novgorod on June 21, while Iceland face Nigeria in Volgograd on June 22.</s>MOSCOW — If there is one flaw in Lionel Messi’s genius, it might be his failure to score penalty kicks in big games.

Add Messi’s saved attempt against Iceland on Saturday at the World Cup to misses for Argentina in shootouts for the Copa America title, and for Barcelona in a Champions League semifinal match that was later lost.

At least Messi’s miss in the 64th minute at Spartak Stadium — his fourth in his last seven penalty attempts for his club and his country — was not in a losing cause. A 1-1 draw with impressive World Cup newcomer Iceland is far from a fatal blow to Argentina’s chances of advancing from a well-balanced group that also includes Croatia and Nigeria.

“It hurt missing the penalty. It could have given us the lead and that could have changed the match,” Messi said. “It would have changed their game plan, too. They probably would open a little bit more and we could get more space.”

The day after Cristiano Ronaldo scored three times from three shots on target — including a penalty and a spectacular free kick — to salvage a point for Portugal against Spain, Messi’s tally of 11 shots, only three on target, and no goals was curious.

The score was already 1-1 when Argentina was awarded the penalty after Hordur Magnusson’s tumbling fall over Sergio Aguero as both chased Messi’s floated cross. Messi placed his shot to the right of Hannes Halldorsson, but the Iceland goalkeeper dived and got two hands behind the ball.

“I did my homework. I looked at a lot of penalties from Messi,” Halldorsson said. “I had a good feeling that he would go this way today.”

Messi had a final chance to redeem his team with the final kick of the game, but his free kick from 25 yards failed to clear a solid defensive wall. It summed up the entire second half of resolute hard work by Iceland.

At the end, Messi retreated alone into the centre circle with his head bowed and hands on his knees.

The Argentina great, considered by many to be the best player of all time, has missed more than 20 penalty kicks in his career.

“That’s just another statistic, it’s part of the past,” Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli said of Messi’s latest miscue.

Iceland played its debut on soccer’s biggest stage like it belonged alongside the 2014 runners-up. Indeed, the result and performance matched its European Championship two years ago. Then, Iceland frustrated and stopped Ronaldo from scoring and rallied to earn a 1-1 draw with Portugal.

The small Nordic island nation’s team could have taken an early lead Saturday but Birkir Bjarnason side-footed a shot wide of goal when goalkeeper Willy Caballero was exposed.

Aguero then scored in the 19th minute. Spinning off a defender with his back to goal at the penalty spot, Aguero moved to his right and hooked his left foot around to send a rising shot high into the net.

It was a finish worthy of Argentina great Diego Maradona, who was watching in the VIP seats. The FIFA ambassador was puffing a large cigar despite smoking being banned in all World Cup venues.

Iceland was level four minutes later, however, when Alfred Finnbogason scored after Argentina goalkeeper Willy Caballero pushed a low cross into the forward’s path for a volley from eight yards.

Argentina fans booed and whistled when the giant stadium screen showed Halldorsson was named man of the match. But his faultless handling and excellent shot-stopping was deserving of the accolade.

In contrast, Caballero caused uneasy moments for his defence in the first half.

Iceland also protected Halldorsson with swarming runs and tackling to shut down Messi and Argentina’s attacking lanes.

This was the first game in Group D, which looks even more evenly balanced now than it did at kickoff. Croatia and Nigeria are also in the group.

Argentina will next play Croatia on Thursday in Nizhny Novgorod, while Iceland plays Nigeria on Friday in Volgograd.

“Are you Cristiano Ronaldo’s uncle?” Halldorsson said to a reporter who asked why Iceland celebrated so much for a draw.

Ronaldo criticized Iceland the same way after Portugal’s 1-1 draw in Iceland’s Euro 2016 debut.

“Maybe we needed to be more creative in the first half. We were very slow on the ball,” Sampaoli said.

Thousands of Iceland fans did their ritual claps and war chants of “Huh!” during the game and after the final whistle with their players. But they were massively outnumbered in the 45,000-capacity stadium by Argentina fans, and Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson did not understand why.

“Strangely, we had difficulties in buying tickets,” he said. “I can’t see where all the Argentinians bought their tickets. Because we could have sold much more in Iceland.

“Just wait and see when we win a game,” Hallgrimsson said. “That is going to be a celebration.”</s>What a start for Iceland on their debut in the FIFA World Cup. The smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup have played out an impressive 1-1 draw with one of the tournament favourites and two-time champions Argentina. But the match will be remembered for the miss penalty by none other than Lionel Messi. Iceland parked the bus in most of the second half and the tactic worked for the newcomers.Messi hit the wall and Iceland celebrateFree-kick for Argentina. Can Messi make it count?Messi's right-footer from inside the box was wide of Iceland goalFive minutes added as stoppage timeIceland goal-scorer Alfred Finnbogason is replaced by SigurdarsonThe long-ranger from Javier Mascherano was weak and straight to the Iceland goalkeeperWhat a save. Full stretch Iceland Goalie palmed it away. Pavon with the shot for ArgentinaMaximiliano Meza off and in came Gonzalo Higuain. Will he score the winner tonight?Messi's shot from top of the box went just wide of Iceland goalGood take by Messi inside the box, but Iceland defender kick it out to give Argentina a cornerArgentina's Pavon went down inside the box after a challenge from Saevarsson. Looks like a penalty, but the ref think otherwise.Change for Iceland too. Captain Aron Gunnarsson is replaced by Ari Freyr SkulasonNo. 22 Pavon came in place of Angel di MariaMessi's free-kick hit the Iceland wall. Will the Argentine superstar score tonight?Ever Banega's right-footer from the left top of the Iceland box was straight to the goalkeeper HalldorssonThis time Messi's free-kick went over the Iceland crossbarLionel Messi's spot-kick was saved by the Iceland goalkeeper. Halldorsson jumped on his right to palm it away. What A Miss!It's a spot kick for Argentina. Lionel Messi was brought down inside the boxForced replacement for Iceland as Johann Gudmundsson limped off the field. Gislason came in for IcelandEver Banega's shot from the top of the box was timely blocked by the sliding Iceland defender Ragnar SigurdssonIt's another corner for Argentina. And as usual, tough to beat the tall Iceland defenders from the set-piece.First change of the match is done by Argentina. Lucas Biglia is replaced by Ever Banega.Corner for Iceland, first of the match for the newcomers. Argentina goalkeeper punched it away.Nicolas Otamendi header, from di Maria corner-kick, went over the Iceland crossbarAngel di Maria's shot was blocked and it's a corner for ArgentinaSecond half begins...Javier Mascherano today became the most capped Argentina footballer with 144 matchesPlayers are coming out to the field for the final 45 minutesAs expected, Argentina dominated the proceedings and took the lead through Sergio Aguero goal in the 19th minute. But Iceland came back strong to score the equaliser four minutes later, with Alfred Finnbogason scoring the important goal. Argentine attacks were centered around Lionel Messi, who have just one shot on target so far in the contest. But at the late stage of the first half, Iceland had few good chances to take the lead against one of the tournament favourites.Gylfi Sigurdsson volleyed a brilliant chance wide of the Argentina goal from the top of the boxOne minute added as stoppage timeArgentine goalkeeper made a good save late in the first halfCorner wasted again by ArgentinaCorner for Argentina again, but it looked like a foul against Nicolas Tagliafico inside the box by Iceland defender. No signal towards the spot by the ref, even though Argentines protested for a whileCorner for Argentina, after Messi's left-footer from close range on the left flank was blocked by the Iceland defenderArgentina strikers lurking just outside the Iceland box, looking for a clear opening but the defenders are up to the mark so far. Messi, as expected, the centre of Argentine attacking planLong ranger from Lucas Biglia, from outside the box, went over the Iceland crossbarAnother corner for Argentina. No danger for Iceland though. It's 1-1 in MoscowIceland scored the equaliser almost immediately. Alfred Finnbogason with the goal.Gylfi Sigurdsson’s shot was palmed away by Argentina goalkeeper Caballero, but it felt straight to Finnbogason, who steered it calmly into the net from six yards.Another left-footer from Messi from top of the box, but Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson was up to the mark again. Halldorsson jumped to his right to collect the ball.Sergio Aguero scored to give Argentina an early leadIt was Aguero's first World Cup goal. Aguero collected the ball near the penalty spot and shot a thunderous strike with his left foot to give Argentina the lead.Messi left-footer from outside the box was punched out by the Iceland goalkeeper Hannes HalldorssonAs expected, Argentina have dominated the proceedings but yet to make a clear attempt on goal. While, Iceland are looking to make the counter-attacks countCorner for Argentina, but Angel di Maria's delivery was easily defended by IcelandBest chance of the game so far, and it was for Iceland. What a miss from Birkir Bjarnason, that too from just 10 yards out of the Argentine goalMessi delivered another good delivery from a free-kick but the low header from Nicolas Tagliaficowas just wide of the Iceland goalFoul on Messi in the Iceland half. Argentine striker took a short free-kick as they look for a clear openingLionel Messi took the free-kick and it was a good delivery towards the middle of Iceland box. But the Argentine strikers in the mix failed to make the contactFree-kick for Argentina early in the match. It is too far for a direct shot though.Here we go...QUOTE OF THE DAY: "They [Argentina] have Messi" - a young Iceland fan outside the stadium before the start of the matchIt's a contest between two-time champions Argentina and the first-timer IcelandHello and welcome to the live coverage of Group D match between Argentina and Iceland at Spartak Stadium in Moscow. The contest will start at 18:30 IST.Check out the starting line-ups below:Wilfredo Caballero, Eduardo Salvio, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Maximiliano Meza, Lionel Messi (capt), Angel di Maria, Sergio AgueroCoach: Jorge Sampaoli (ARG)Hannes Halldorsson, Hordur Magnusson, Kari Arnason, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Birkir Savarsson, Emil Hallfredsson, Aron Gunnarsson (capt), Johann Gudmundsson, Birkir Bjarnason, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Alfred FinnbogasonCoach: Heimir Hallgrimsson (ISL)Referee: Szymon Marciniak (POL)</s>Argentina is set clash with Iceland in a Group D World Cup match in Moscow at Spartak Stadium. The match is scheduled for 4pm local time.

Argentina has won the World Cup twice, 1978 and 1986 and have qualified 11 consecutive times starting with West Germany 1974.

Iceland on the other hand, are set to compete in their first ever World Cup finals.

The two countries are set to face each other for the first time ever.

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli revealed on Friday that Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero will start ahead of Gonzalo Higuain in their 2018 World Cup opener against Iceland.

Macherano and Biglia will also start in midfield for Argentina. Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is under pressure to guide his team to win his first ever World Cup trophy with Argentina. Di Maria and Maximiliano Meza will play in the wings.

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‘The Mascherano-Biglia tandem at midfield secures us defensive alternatives that we will need and that another pair can't give us,’ Sampaoli said.

‘I can see Messi in a great form and very excited about the possibility of starting a new tournament that we expect will put him in the place that he deserves.

‘Meza, he was really the person we were looking for. He really gives us versatility, he's a very versatile player, he allows us to recover balls, so he is really ready.

‘And he's just as good as any other players he plays with. Maybe he's not as close as other players are to elite games but I think he is somebody who knows what Argentina means.’ He added.

Iceland is the smallest country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a population of 300,000. Iceland is keen to introduce their famous Viking clap to the World Cup.

The 30-year-old has scored 34 goals in 36 games for Barcelona this season. Being that he has never wo the World Cup in his career, Messi will be hoping to guide his team to the title this year.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is the star in a team without stars. Iceland very much defines itself through teamwork and as being a closed knit group. But Sigurdsson’s talent and his excellent shooting technique make him the one player that stands out a bit of the group.
First time qualifier Iceland holds off a late charge from two-time champion Argentina and comes away with a 1–1 draw in the opening World Cup matches for both countries.