People weren’t sure whether this American commentary gaffe was intentional or not

Did he know what he was doing?

Reuben Pinder

People weren’t sure whether this American commentary gaffe was intentional or not

Did he know what he was doing?

Argentina failed to start the World Cup as they had hoped to on Saturday, only managing a 1-1 draw against Iceland, the smallest nation taking part in the tournament. Sergio Agüero’s goal gave Argentina an early advantage, but they were not able to make it count and conceded a sloppy goal to allow Iceland back into the game.

Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team remained compact throughout the game, plugging every gap and not allowing Lionel Messi an inch of breathing space. Every time he got the ball, there were three players surrounding him, ready to stop his run by any means necessary.

It was a resolute performance that merited a point against an Argentina side who failed to create enough chances, although they did have a penalty saved. On the final whistle, Lionel Messi booted the ball into the air in frustration, while Iceland’s heroes savoured the moment with their travelling support and of course, brought out the Viking clap.

At that moment, commentators from around the world marked the moment with poetic remarks, but one commentator has received a lot more attention than he will have expected.

American people are often unfairly accused of not knowing anything about football, mainly due to the different jargon they use, but this commentary gaffe will not have helped their cause.

The game was broadcast live on FOX, whose commentator exclaimed: “Iceland beats Argentina 1-1!”. Needless to say, he’s used the wrong verb.

Does America understand how "soccer" works?

"Iceland beats Argentina 1-1" pic.twitter.com/1JxkeNyTlA

— Sport Fails TV (@SportFailTV) June 17, 2018

Fox commentators: Iceland beats Argentina 1-1
Me: ??????????????

— LaVar Ball (@Kennystry) June 16, 2018

However, some people believe that he was fully aware of the contradiction he had made and that that was the joke. Iceland had done so well that 1-1 was effectively a win. Certainly mentally, Iceland had defeated the Argentinians.