All the updates from World Cup Day 3

Af góðu upphafi vonast góður endir.

That is an Icelandic proverb that translates to “A good beginning makes a good ending,” according to Wikiquote.

Nigeria and Peru entered this World Cup as a pair of very popular underdog darlings. Both teams have entertaining attacking players and are a lot better at scoring goals than they are at defending. Rather than asking their forwards to defend and their midfielders to sit, they both attack quickly and ambitiously, trying creative plays and shooting whenever they get a look at goal.

Both teams lost their opening matches on Saturday.

The third day of the World Cup was a long one. We had four games, lots of banter — so, so much banter, especially around Lionel Messi and his missed penalty kick — and lots of goals to discuss.

So let’s discuss them. Actually, even better — let’s discuss them after ranking them.

After two days of high drama in the 2018 World Cup, day three wasn’t a letdown. Unless you were rooting for Argentina.

Two major stars in world football have already been in action on Saturday: Paul Pogba grabbed a late winner for France against Australia in the first match of the day. After that, Lionel Messi and Argentina was held to a draw by Iceland, everyone’s second-favorite team. With a chance to score a go-ahead goal, Messi failed to convert a penalty. After that, Denmark overcame a strong performance from Peru, thanks in part to a missed penalty. Rounding out the action, Croatia edged Nigeria, 2-0, thanks to an own goal and a penalty.

Based on Nigeria’s performances in friendlies and qualifying, this World Cup Group D match had the potential to be a lot of fun. Instead, Croatia’s midfield duo of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic kept control of the ball all game long, guiding their team to a comfortable 2-0 victory.

Croatia took the lead on a 32nd minute corner kick through some persistence. Three Croatia players got a touch, but the last person to hit the ball before it dribbled over the line was Nigeria’s Oghenekaro Etebo.

For the most part, Peru lived up to expectations about their exciting play. They were fast, relentless, took plenty of shots... and none went into the back of the net. Denmark, meanwhile, were a bit more measured. And they needed just one attack — a precise counter-attack from Christian Eriksen and Yurary — to win the match.

Peru won a penalty just before halftime, but couldn’t convert. The referee judged that Christian Cueva had been fouled in the box after a VAR review, but Cueva skied his spot kick over the bar.

Peru’s Christian Cueva earned his team a penalty kick in the closing minutes of the first half against Denmark in their Group C match on Saturday, a penalty that was at first not called. Referee Bakary Gassama waited a few moments after what appeared to be a clear foul, then went to video replay review, and awarded Peru the penalty.

Then Cueva stepped up, did a few stutter steps, and kicked the ball into the parking lot.

Argentina probably should have defeated Iceland in its World Cup Group D opener. Lionel Messi had a chance to give his team the lead from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, but instead...

...yikes. Hannes Þór Halldórsson made a nice save, for sure, but you’d expect a player of Messi’s caliber to pick out one of the corners. But as it turns out, he’s not that great at penalties, both short-term and over his entire career.

Argentina and Iceland battled to a 1-1 tie in their World Cup Day 3 match on Saturday, in a match that was a hell of a lot more exciting than its scoreline would suggest.

Before the game, I wrote that this match was somehow being billed as Lionel Messi taking on Cristiano Ronaldo, and laughed at it, and then the banter gods laughed at me, because I am a fool. Messi missed a penalty, and struggled to carry an Argentina team that looked shaky, especially in the back. So uh, I guess Ronaldo is the soccer god, and Lionel Messi is trash, or something?

Paul Pogba, France’s superstar midfielder, scored his team’s game-winning goal on Saturday. Les Bleus struggled against Australia, but pulled out a late 2-1 victory thanks to this incredible piece of play.

It wouldn’t have happened if Pogba didn’t make a risky, aggressive run into the box. It’s something he didn’t get the chance to do very often in this game, something that has sadly become the norm for France. Manager Didier Deschamps has a fairly conservative philosophy, and wants Pogba to be positionally disciplined.

France defender Samuel Umtiti had one of the most inexplicable plays of the World Cup on Saturday when Australia crossed a ball into the French box and Umtiti, who is not a goalkeeper, punched it. With his hand. Which is not allowed in soccer.

A penalty was called, Australia’s Mile Jedinak finished, and Australia and France were tied 1-1. It ended up not mattering, as Paul Pogba scored a goal late to give France a 2-1 win, but it got us thinking: What, exactly, was Umtiti thinking?

For 89 minutes, Uruguay and Egypt sat deadlocked in a scoreless tie during their World Cup opener. Injured Egyptian star Mo Sala sat on the bench, and Uruguay’s dangerous attackers were unable to break through. Then, this happened:

José Giménez put the goal in and Uruguay stole three points in a crucial opening game. But as exciting as that goal was, watching these Uruguayan children go absolutely bonkers in the goal’s aftermath is so much better.

If you watched Euro 2016 or saw Iceland play during World Cup qualifying, chances are you’ve seen and heard this:

What on earth is that, you ask?