Winners and losers from controversial Day 3 at World Cup

Fans were treated to four event-filled matches in an exciting and jam-packed Day 3 of the World Cup. Here, theScore explores some of the winners and losers from a contentious day of tournament action.

Winner: Iceland (and dentists everywhere)

Dentists all around the world, or at least in Iceland, take note: With some training, you too could mastermind a defensive scheme to stifle arguably the best footballer of all time.

Iceland bench boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, who's also a practicing dentist, watched as his side earned a 1-1 draw against Lionel Messi and World Cup powerhouse Argentina on Saturday. His hard-working, defensively resolute squad fought back after surrendering a Sergio Aguero goal to pick up what could prove to be a massive point in Group D.

It may have come as a surprise to many, but not to the 51-year-old manager.

"What we did two years ago was not a miracle," he said in the build-up to the contest. "We are 22nd in the FIFA rankings and we won our qualifying group. We deserve to be here.

Related - Floor is lava: How did a weather-beaten outpost like Iceland get so good?

"It's down to knowing your strengths and weaknesses. We play a different style of football to many teams but if you work together as a unit then anything is achievable and I hope we can continue showing that. Anyone who thinks it is a shock we are here doesn’t know much about the Iceland national team."

Could another Cinderella run be in the cards?

Loser: Lionel Messi

One of football's brightest has seen better days.

Argentina's No. 10 had himself a frustrating encounter with minnow Iceland. His already dodgy penalty record was made worse when Hannes Halldorsson stopped his attempt as the Albiceleste had to settle for a disappointing draw in its World Cup opener.

It was Messi's fourth miss in his last seven attempts from the spot for both club and country. Argentina may have to consider replacing its primary penalty taker with tough matches against Croatia and Nigeria ahead.

Related - Why Messi must win the World Cup for Argentina to love him

Winner: Video Assistant Referees

The decision to implement VAR for the World Cup in Russia received a lot of criticism before the tournament.

Doubters were left with few arguments on Saturday.

VAR played a massive role. France scored its first goal in its 2-1 victory over Australia after replay showed Josh Risdon had fouled Antoine Griezmann in the box, despite the referee not blowing his whistle initially. Peru's Christian Cueva was another beneficiary of replay in his side's 1-0 loss to Denmark, receiving a penalty that wasn't initially called, though he skied the ensuing attempt.

There are still some questions surrounding VAR: Should officials consult the replay system after every tackle in the 18-yard box? And will assistant referees simply ignore close offside calls in the hopes of being bailed out by video?

Nobody expected VAR to be perfect off the bat, but its use has been sound so far.

Loser: Paul Pogba haters

All the much-maligned Paul Pogba did on Saturday morning was set up one goal - his through ball created the penalty that Griezmann tucked away for France - and then score the match-winner after a clever, powerful run into the area to avoid a draw against a tough-tackling, defensively solid Australia.

The haters are still there - they always will be when it comes to the exuberant 25-year-old - but they're running out of material.

Winner: Peruvian fans

For 36 long years, Peruvian fans had to watch the World Cup as neutrals while La Blanquirroja continuously failed to qualify for football's greatest tournament.

Not anymore.

With Peru set to partake in its first World Cup game since June 22, 1982 on Saturday, the country's most fervent supporters made sure not to let the moment pass them by. Thousands of Peruvians stole the show, transforming the Russian city of Saransk into a giant party as they paraded through the streets in their traditional red-and-white kits ahead of the opening clash against Denmark.

Some of their fans were so intent on supporting their country in Russia, they sacrificed their health to try to grab a spot in the stadium:

Peru may have lost its first match, but don't think for a second that's going to dampen the celebrations.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)