Ex- film director Iceland goalkeeper explains how he saved Messi’s penalty

Iceland goalkeeper reveals secret behind saving Lionel Messi's penalty after denying Argentina at World Cup 2018

Iceland hero Hannes Halldorsson revealed he thwarted Argentina star Lionel Messi from the spot by studying his penalty technique.

Haldorsson’s second-half penalty save earned Iceland an unlikely point in their World Cup opener and brought fresh frustration for Barcelona superstar Messi at a major tournament.

Messi did all he could do atone for his spot-kick miss, but Iceland - conquerers of England at Euro 2016 - stood firm to earn a deserved draw in their Group C opener.

And Halldorsson revealed the secret of thwarting Messi from the spot was hours spent watching clips of the Barcelona superstar;s penalties ahead of the game.

“I did some homework,” he said. “It was a situation I knew could come up.

“It was is a long shot, but it happened. I looked at a lot of penalties from Messi and wanted to get into his mind and what he would think about me.