In the Group D encounter in Moscow, Argentine super star Lionel Messi fluffed his World Cup lines, missing a penalty as tiny Iceland held the two-time world champions to a One-One draw.
Messi stepped up to the spot with the teams locked at 1-1 in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium after Rurik Gislason was adjudged to have brought down Maximiliano Meza in the 63rd minute. But rival goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson guessed correctly and palmed away the Argentine skipper’s side-footed effort and, despite intense pressure, Iceland held on for a famous draw.
It was an extraordinary result in the history of Iceland, who famously dumped England out of Euro 2016.
In the first match of the day, France launched their campaign with victory against Australia. They benefited from the first use of Video Assistant Referee system in the tournament’s history. At Saransk, Yussuf Poulsen ruined Peru’s first appearance at a World Cup finals for 36 years, with a winning goal for Denmark. At Kaliningrad, a Luka Modric penalty and an own goal from the rival side, gave former semi-finalists Croatia an easy 2-0 win over Nigeria in their opening fixture.
Today, Costa Rica will take on Serbia at 5.30 p.m. at Samara. In the other two matches, defending champions Germany will clash with Mexico at 8.30 p.m. in Moscow, while Brazil will take on Switzerland at 11.30 p.m. at Rostov-On-Don.