World Cup 2018:Argentina 1-1 Iceland as Hannes Thor Halldorsson Saves Lionel Messi’s Penalty

World Cup 2018:Argentina 1-1 Iceland as Hannes Thor Halldorsson Saves Lionel Messi’s Penalty

By Zainab Tanimu

Kaduna, North-West, NIGERIA

Hannes Thór Halldórsson saves had helped to keep Iceland level in their 1-1 draw with Argentina.

Hannes Thór Halldórsson, who guessed the right way and palmed the ball far enough from goal left spectators in the stands jaws dropped as they watched astonishingly brilliant moment for Halldórsson, who six years ago directed Iceland’s entry to the Eurovision song contest, but  now saved a penalty from Messi in front of a few hundred million people.

With 13 minutes to go, Argentina was denied again another goal as Cristian Pavón was tripped in the area by Birkir Már Sævarsson.

He might easily have had another penalty. Confusingly no VAR review was called for. By the time Iceland had taken their goal-kick , the moment had passed.

So Iceland held on in this Group D opener to take a deserved point from their first World Cup game. This is a rise that has been pegged out in moments. Here was another one, a new plateau for the smallest nation ever to get to the World Cup.

Iceland goalkeeper, Hannes Halldorsson, has stated that he denied Argentina captain, Lionel Messi from the spot by studying his penalty technique.
Haldorsson’s second-half penalty save earned his team a 1-1 draw in their 2018 World Cup opener.

Messi did all he could to atone for his spot-kick miss, but Iceland defended resolutely until the end.

“I did some homework. It was a situation I knew could come up,” Halldorsson said about the penalty.

“It was a long shot, but it happened. I looked at a lot of penalties from Messi and wanted to get into his mind and what he would think about me.

“I had a good feeling he would go that way today.

“We were playing against one of the best teams in the world, against the best players in the world, in our first World Cup,” Haldorsson told reporters in the mixed zone after the match.