World Cup 2018: Argentina 1-1 Iceland; 3 key battles that decided the game

Argentina huffed and puffed for 90 minutes, but there is not a lot you can do when the winds of destiny are not in your favor. In the end, the runners-up of the last WC could only manage a miserable draw against Iceland, throwing the group-wide.

Aguero's first World Cup goal was nullified by Iceland's first ever WC goal courtesy Finnbogason, as the match went into half-time at 1-1 with Argentina being the dominant side.

The same was repeated in the second half, but Lionel Messi missed a crucial penalty that would have sealed all three points for the Group favourites.

As always, there were a few individual battles that went a long way in deciding the final outcome of the match. Here's a look at 3 of them:

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#1 Lionel Messi vs Gylfi Sigurdsson

In the battle of the No.10s, it was Sigurdsson who unexpectedly came out on top. It was an unusually bad day for Messi as a whole, who had several close chances to score, and the penalty miss was just the rotten cherry on top of an expired cake.

After watching Ronaldo being all pumped up yesterday, Messi was the complete opposite of it here. He ran slower than he usually does, his passes were a little less zingy, and even the penalty was average at best, and borderline awful.

Sigurdsson, on the other hand, lived up to his and Iceland's reputation. The goal came off a Sigurdsson cross as well, the rebound falling very so kindly to Finnbogason who was in no mood to miss.

Other than that, Gylfi was much more involved in the game with him being the anchor around which the rest of the team revolved. It was the same for Messi too, but without the same level of impact.

Messi had two shots at the end go very, very close but Argentina doesn't care as long as it isn't inside the back of the net.

Messi vs Sigurdsson - stats

Is it a question of rest? Or is he metaphorically tired of carrying Argentina for too long? As questions loom, Argentine fans will be hoping that Messi has gotten everything bad out of his system and will show up for the next games with more intent.

#2 Javier Mascherano vs Emil Hallfredsson

Mascherano playing the full duration of the game is both a positive and a negative for Argentina

The big question was whether Mascherano was fit enough to play all the 90 minutes, and the answer to that question is yes. But how effectively, is a completely different question, and one which Sampaoli should ponder further.

Sampaoli chose to play him over Lo Celso, the more attacking option. Against a team like Iceland who are regimented, it would have been more productive to play the youngster.

But to his credit, Mascherano was solid when defending for the side and did not make any sort of mistakes.

Hallfredsson, however, was all over the Argentine midfielder. Every time Mascherano had an inkling to drive forward, he found his path impeded by Hallfredsson, and chose to pass it over to Silvio or Meza and retracted back to his position.

Mascherano vs Hallfredsson - stats

When not defending, Hallfredsson was quick to accompany Sigurdsson in attack while Gunnarsson stayed behind to help out. Together with Bjornason, he dominated the left flank and constantly made life hard for Silvio.

#3 Sergio Aguero vs Kari Arnason

It was a shame Aguero's first WC goal did not come in a happier occasion

It was a pity that Aguero's first WC goal did not end up with more happiness, but Aguero will be glad he got it out of the way in the first game. After spending the previous WCs as a substitute or battling injury, this is the first time as a full-time striker for the team and he delivered what he promised.

His goal was a thing of beauty - great control, a fast turn away from the defender and towards the goal, and the sharpest of finishes into the top left corner. He might be shorter in stature than the two Iceland CBs, but it helped that the ball came through the ground on that one.

The reason Argentina couldn't score, or even put in crosses properly into the box was Arnason and all 190 cms of him. He ruled the air like a true Viking, and ensured that Aguero could get no service whatsoever.

Aguero vs Arnason - stats

Arnason ensured that the set-pieces yielded no fruition as well, with Otamendi and Rojo trying to get a goal off those.

It was a testament to Iceland's defensive organization, that despite creating so many chances, Argentina never looked like they deserved a goal for their efforts.