Iceland charm before World Cup debut

MOSCOW (AP):

Iceland are showing the charming, funny, friendly style that has won friends worldwide before the team's World Cup debut against Argentina.

In a witty meeting with international media Friday, Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson began by welcoming the room in Russian, praised his team's hosts and their first opponents, then disarmed his inquisitors by heading off the usual question about his day job.

"I am still a dentist and I will never stop being a dentist," the coach said in Icelandic.

Hallgrimsson acknowledged his coaching staff has a "headache" preparing to face Lionel Messi today in "the biggest game in the history of Icelandic football."

Global support

He also knows the Nordic island of 330,000 people has global support from its fairy-tale run to the 2016 European Championship quarter-finals.

"It's a pretty little nation and pretty people in general. You can't but love us," the coach said at a packed news conference at Spartak Stadium.

One obvious question that did get asked arises before every game involving Messi how to stop the five-time world player of the year.

Argentina stumbled through the 18-game South American qualifying group and needed Messi's seven goals in a relatively low tally of 19 to advance to Russia.

"I don't have any magic formula," Hallgrimsson said. "Everybody has tried everything against him and he always managed to score."

It would be "not fair" to assign one player to stop Messi, he said, so Iceland will take a collective approach as a team that served it well in recent years.

Gunnarsson said there was no pressure on the players, who have landed in a tough Group D which also has Nigeria and Croatia.

"We have nothing to lose. We feel good," said the midfielder, who will lead the postgame clapping ritual that closely bonds fans and players.