' Aron Gunnarsson '

Argentina draw is useless if we don't tame Super Eagles - Iceland’s Gunnarsson reveals mission vs. Nigeria

Deputy Editor


Tuesday 19th June 2018



After their vital draw against the Argentines, the Icelandic midfielder insists the point will be a waste if they don't see off Gernot Rohr's men

Aron Gunnarsson has revealed his Iceland’s mission against Nigeria in their second Group D clash at the World Cup in Volgograd on Friday.

The European side opened their debut campaign on football’s grandest stage with an inspiring 1-1 draw against Lionel Messi-led Argentina at the Spartak Stadium on Saturday.

And at the back of the positive feat, the 29-year-old midfielder insists nothing is given yet as they set sights on compounding the woes of the Super Eagles, whose campaign took off in an underwhelming manner.


ARON GUNNARSSON:

“Now we need to focus on Nigeria”, Gunnarsson told media.

“We can’t dwell on that game now, if we don’t focus on Nigeria and don’t get a result there, then that point is no use for anyone.”


Reflecting on their hard-fought draw with Argentina, he explained how they survived the threats of Messi and Co. in their opening fixture.

“I was still hyper after the game, the adrenalin was still going high, but that’s just part of it,” he continued.

“I think when you play a game like this and it’s high-tempo, it’s hard to shut everything down.

“If you stand by and idolise him, he’s going to go past you and he’s going to score, he’s going to take advantage of that. It’s just important to respect the guy and play your normal football.”

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Gunnarsson: I didn't sleep until four in the morning, the adrenaline was so high

Iceland scored their first goal and grabbed their first point in a World Cup and Aron Gunnarsson has claimed that he could hardly fall asleep the night after the encounter.

His team are set to take on Nigeria next and Gunnarsson has indicated that they will have to face the Africans with the same mentality as they did against La Albiceleste.




ARON GUNNARSSON:


"I fell asleep at four o'clock in the morning, as the adrenaline was still high for a long time, but is usual when you play a game like that," he said to reporters.

"Now we have another game of great importance against Nigeria.

"If we don't concentrate on Nigeria and don't get a result there, then the point against Argentina won't have any value."

The game between the two teams will kick off on Friday at 17:00 CET.