Argentina couldn’t satisfy the odds in the opening game of the Group D at the 2018 World Cup, playing a disappointing 1-1 draw against a sturdy Iceland team. Lionel Messi missed the penalty along the way, so Argentina couldn’t get a win at -333, while the clash was ended in the under of the total of 2.5 goals at -145.
Game Recap
Argentina completely disappointed the fans with a 1-1 draw against Iceland, although La Albiceleste had the ball on their feet for 78% of the time, making 723 passes, 500 more than Our Boys, while taking 27 shots towards Iceland’s goalkeeper, seven of them on target. On the other side, Iceland took just eight shots, while two of them went on target, but Our Boys had a clear plan how to deal with Lionel Messi and co, so they completely deserved a draw at +400.
As it was expected, Argentina’s manager Jorge Sampaoli omitted both Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain from the starting eleven, setting Sergio Aguero all alone at the front. Aguero had a solid game, scoring the only goal for Argentina in the 19th minute with a beautiful left-foot shot from inside the box, but Sampaoli’s decision to play with just one man in the final third costed Argentina a lot here. Iceland defended with all ten players, sitting deep on their own half, so Argentina’s players such as Maximiliano Meza and Cristian Pavon who came off the bench in the second half weren’t good enough for Our Boys.
Iceland scored an equalizer on the counter just four minutes after conceding, and Our Boys were a constant threat for fragile Argentina’s defensive line. Gylfi Sigurdsson organized the play well, while the keeper Hannes Halldorsson had a great day at the office. In the 64th minute, Halldorsson saved the penalty kick, although Lionel Messi’s shot was quite poor, so the bettors can blame the little magician for upsetting the odds here, as Argentina was a huge -333 favorite to beat Iceland, while plenty wagered on the spread at +110, or on the totals, backing the over at +120.
Argentina is now a +1000 favorite to beat the 2018 World Cup, according to BetDSI Sportsbook, but La Albiceleste will need to improve if they want to qualify for the next round. Lionel Messi had a poor match, so he’s now a +1600 favorite to win the Golden Boot, but the bettors can expect from Messi to bounce back in the next game. On the other side, Iceland showed a great team spirit and the bettors should keep eye on Our Boys who are still +20000 underdogs to win the title in Russia.
