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Fans stormed the pitch and threw bottles at the players after Argentina scored what appeared to be a late equaliser against Morocco as Olympic football kicked off with confusion and chaos in Saint-Etienne.
Cristian Medina netted in the 16th minute of injury time to salvage what looked like a 2-2 draw for Argentina in the men’s football Group B fixture before being pelted with bottles and cups from the stands. Supporters then invaded the pitch and started throwing firecrackers, with some players visibly flinching before heading off down the tunnel at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
However, once the teams left the pitch, players discovered that the match had not been completed but suspended by officials, with the full-time whistle not officially blown. The Olympics website also showed the match as “interrupted”, although many outlets switched their coverage to full-time.
More than an hour later, it was confirmed that the teams would return to the pitch to play the final three minutes behind closed doors and that the players would be given 20 minutes to warm up.
In addition to this, Argentina’s equaliser had also been ruled out after a VAR review during the suspension, meaning Morocco would resume the contest leading 2-1. There was no further drama and the north African nation saw out the remaining seconds to seal a shock victory.
It was an inauspicious start to the Olympics, with some sports beginning before Friday’s opening ceremony and the 3pm (local time) kick-off making the match one of the very first events of Paris 2024. But the confusing, chaotic ending was immediately a poor look for the hosts.
Argentina were booed by spectators throughout the match amid Enzo Fernandez’s video controversy labelled by the French Football Federation as “racist and discriminatory”.
The gold medal winners in 2004 and 2008 failed to display their best play despite lining up recent Copa America winners Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli.
Soufiane Rahimi put Morocco ahead as Achraf Hakimi set him up from the right after a superb passing move in the final seconds of the first half. Rahimi doubled the advantage and netted his second from the penalty spot in the 49th minute before Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for Javier Mascherano’s side in the 68th.
Medina then found the net 16 minutes into stoppage time before fans stormed the pitch and objects were thrown at players as chaos erupted in the eastern French city, only for the goal to later be ruled out by VAR, play to resume after more than an hour’s suspension and Morocco to seal a 2-1 win.
Additional reporting by Reuters
