Morocco Defeats Argentina in Disrupted Olympic Opener
In a match marred by crowd disturbances, Morocco defeated Argentina 2-1 in the opening football game of the Olympics. The match, held at the Saint-Etienne Stadium, was interrupted for nearly two hours due to chaotic scenes involving fans.
Morocco led 2-0 against Argentina, who managed to score once and sought an equalizer. Cristian Medina appeared to equalize in the 16th minute of added time, beyond the scheduled 15 minutes. However, after crowd unrest, the match was suspended.
Following a delay, the game resumed in an empty stadium with no fans present. VAR reviewed Medina's goal and disallowed it due to an offside infraction. The final three minutes were played without spectators, and Morocco held on for a 2-1 win.
The trouble began immediately after Medina's disallowed goal when objects were thrown at the Argentina players, and a flare landed near the team. Some fans in Moroccan colors entered the pitch and were removed by stewards. Riot police were deployed, and the players were taken off the field. An announcement directed fans to leave the stadium.
The match was briefly declared suspended, but it was later confirmed that the remaining time would be played without fans. The players returned to warm up at 17:45 BST, and the game resumed at 18:00 BST. The final score remained 2-1, with Soufiane Rahimi scoring both goals for Morocco. Giuliano Simeone scored Argentina's lone goal.
Argentina, who won the men's Olympic football tournament in 2004 and 2008, is managed by Javier Mascherano in 2024. The team needs to secure positive results against Iraq and Ukraine to advance to the quarter-finals.
The tournament organizers issued a statement: “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators. The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.”
