Lionel Messi peanlty argentina world cup 2018

@WorldSoccerTalk / Twitter

World Cup 2018: Lionel Messi fluffs a crucial penalty vs Iceland [video]

Oh, Lionel. Mate…

Lionel Messi peanlty argentina world cup 2018

@WorldSoccerTalk / Twitter

Somewhere in a plush Russian hotel, Cristiano Ronaldo is grinning like a Chesire cat. Lionel Messi’s poor penalty for Argentina against Iceland is certainly one to forget.

Deadlocked at 1-1, Messi had the chance to give his side the lead halfway into the second half. However, his spot-kick was saved by the Icelandic goalkeeper.

The timing of the miss will be particularly hurtful for Messi, both in the context of the game and for his own personal reasons. Ronaldo, his perennial rival for “best footballer in the world”, bagged a hat-trick during a virtuoso display for Portugal on Friday night. His side drew 3-3 with Spain.

Messi’s failure proved costly, as the match finished as a draw. It was a tough afternoon for the Argentine, who saw all 11 of his attempts on target fail to hit the back of the net. SuperSport stated that no-one has had as many shots in one game at a World Cup since 1966.

World Cup 2018 – Watch Lionel Messi miss his penalty against Iceland:

How many penalties has Lionel Messi missed?

He has missed 24 of his 103 efforts from the spot. His conversion rate of 77% remains subjective. Indeed, people may choose to see the glass as more than three-quarters full, rather than nearly a quarter empty.

Technically speaking, one of his misses is actually an assist. Playing against Celta Vigo in 2016, he took the incredibly rare step of passing his penalty to a team-mate. Maybe he should have tried that on Saturday?