Moscow, June 16: Argentina's Lionel Messi missed a second-half penalty as Iceland claimed their first ever World Cup point in a 1-1 draw here on Saturday.
Messi had a weak 64th-minute shot easily saved by Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson after Sergio Aguero of Argentina and Alfred Finnbogason of Iceland struck first half goals during a hard fought Group D match at the Spartak Stadium, reports Xinhua news agency.
It was an encouraging display for Heimir Hallgrimsson men, who showed surprising attacking intent early before weathering an Argentina onslaught in the second half.
Argentina, meanwhile, will be rueing a raft of missed opportunities, especially in the final half hour. Their next match against Croatia on June 21 is suddenly a must-win affair as the two-time champions seek to avoid an early tournament exit.
Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli began the match with Aguero just in front of Messi in attack, leaving Gonzalo Higuain on the bench.
The South Americans threatened in the opening minutes with two Messi free-kicks that floated perilously into the penalty area.
But Iceland soon settled and Birkir Bjarnason should have done better when he flayed a shot wide from 12 yards after a counter-attack.
As expected, Messi was heavily marked by Iceland's defence and the Barcelona forward was often forced deep to get involved. He twice had long-range efforts punched clear by Halldorsson.
Argentina took the lead when Aguero deftly controlled a bullet pass from Marcos Rojo before turning and unleashing a wicked left-footed shot that barely allowed Halldorsson to react as it cannoned into the top left corner.
The equaliser came four minutes later after Gylfi Sigurdsson rasping effort forced a lunging save from Caballero. The rebound fell to Finnbogason, who hammered in from close range.
Despite Argentina's control of possession, Iceland looked more likely to score.
Sigurdsson twice had chances to give his side the lead just before halftime -- first with a 15-yard strike that again tested Caballero and then by flashing a volley narrowly wide.
Sevilla midfielder Ever Banega replaced Lucas Biglia in the 54th minute and the change made an immediate impact as Iceland were pushed deeper.
Messi also became more influential. It was his inviting cross into the area that led a disorientated Hordur Magnusson to clatter into Maximiliano Meza. Polish referee Szymon Marciniak pointed to the spot and the scene seemed set for another Messi rescue story for his country.
But the five-time Ballon d'Or winner appeared to hesitate before prodding a tame spot-kick that was parried away by Halldorsson.
Messi had further chances to score as Argentina pressed relentlessly in the final minutes. The No. 10 sent a free-kick over the bar and lashed long range attempts with either foot just wide of the target.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Mother Dairy raises milk prices by up to Rs 2/litre
New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI): Mother Dairy has hiked milk prices by up to Rs 2 per litre effective Wednesday to partly offset rising input costs.
The price revision will be effective from April 30, 2025 across its market, a company official said on Tuesday.
"This price revision has been necessitated to address the significant increase in procurement costs, which have gone up by Rs 4-5 per litre over the past few months," the Mother Dairy official said.
The surge in procurement prices is primarily driven by early onset of summer and heatwave conditions, the official said.
Mother Dairy sells around 35 lakh litre of milk per day in the Delhi-NCR market through its own outlets, general trade and e-commerce platforms.
"We remain committed to ensuring the consistent availability of quality milk to consumers while supporting the livelihoods of our farmers," he said.
This revision represents only a partial pass-through of the increased costs, aiming to equitably serve the interests of both farmers and consumers, the official said.
The prices of toned milk (bulk vended) has been increased to Rs 56 per litre from Rs 54 per litre in Delhi-NCR.
Full cream milk (pouched) will cost Rs 69 per litre as against Rs 68 per litre.
The rate of toned milk (pouched) has been increased to Rs 57 from Rs 56 per litre, while double toned milk will cost Rs 51 as against Rs 49 per litre.
The prices of cow milk has been increased to Rs 59 per litre from Rs 57 per litre.
