‘We have to keep calm & win’: Messi feels ‘hurt’ but focused after bitter draw with Iceland

While Lionel Messi feels personal responsibility for his failure to convert a penalty, which led to a 1-1 draw with Iceland, the Argentine star is confident his team will shine during its next World Cup match, against Croatia.

“We have to look ahead. I think we deserved three points, but we have to be calm,” the Argentine and FC Barcelona forward said, after the fierce battle with 'The Vikings' that ended in a draw.

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In its debut game in Group D, Iceland clashed with one of this year’s World Cup favorites – Argentina. While the South American team was widely anticipated to secure a victory against the debutants, Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson worked his magic on the 63rd minute, by diving to his right and palming away Messi’s penalty shot.

“It hurts me to have missed the penalty because it would’ve given us a decisive advantage,” the Barcelona player said after the game. “There’s bitterness from not being able to add the three points in our first match because I think we deserved it.”

After Sergio Aguero put Argentina ahead and Alfred Finnbogason equalized, Messi's miss came as a major disappointment to the fans. The 30-year-old star footballer, however, promised a better performance against Croatia on June 21.

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“We have to be calm and stay focused,” Messi reiterated. “I think a lot of what we did was good, but in any case, we just have to try to win the Croatia match.”