Chaos and confusion marked the scene on Wednesday, as Morocco secured a 2-1 victory over Argentina in their opening game of the men’s Olympic football tournament.
The match ended in controversy after a late equalizer by Argentina was disallowed, and the final minutes were played without spectators due to crowd disturbances.
Argentina seemed to have salvaged a draw in their Group B match in Saint-Etienne when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time. However, as the Argentine players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups were thrown from the stands, and several spectators invaded the pitch. The referee promptly blew the whistle, and the teams left the field.
Despite the teams leaving the pitch, the referee had not signaled the end of the match, leaving the outcome uncertain. After a two-hour delay, the players returned to complete the final three minutes in an empty stadium. Medina’s goal was eventually ruled offside after a VAR review, securing the victory for Morocco.
The incident marked a rough start to the sporting events at the Paris Games and was particularly unfortunate for Argentina, whose players were booed during their entrance and the national anthems by a crowd predominantly supporting Morocco.
The hostility followed Argentina players’ recent controversial behavior, as they were filmed singing racist chants after their Copa America victory. The Argentina team, aiming for a third Olympic gold in men’s football after triumphs in 2004 and 2008, found themselves trailing 2-0 due to two goals by Soufiane Rahimi.
Morocco’s captain, Achraf Hakimi, a prominent player from Paris Saint-Germain, assisted Rahimi for the opening goal during first-half stoppage time. The reigning African Under-23 champions extended their lead six minutes into the second half with a penalty scored by Rahimi, following a foul on Ilias Akhomach.
Argentina’s coach Javier Mascherano, a key player in the teams that won gold in Athens and Beijing, had hoped to include Lionel Messi among the three permitted overage players, but Messi chose not to participate. Instead, notable players for Argentina included Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez and captain Nicolas Otamendi of Benfica.
Giovanni Simeone, son of former Argentine star Diego Simeone, came off the bench to reduce the deficit midway through the second half. Medina then believed he had secured a draw in the 106th minute, heading in a rebound after Otamendi and Bruno Amione both hit the woodwork. However, Argentina’s hopes were dashed when the goal was disallowed.
