- Morocco beat Argentina in game marked by crowd troubles and chaos
- Morocco led Argentina 2-0 before Argentina scored and pressed for an equaliser
- Medina appeared to make it 2-2 in the 16th minute of 15 scheduled injury-time minutes, sparking chaos
- The match eventually resumed in an empty stadium after a lengthy delay, with VAR disallowing Argentina’s equaliser
Morocco beat Argentina in game marked by crowd troubles and chaos
The first football match of the Olympics was suspended for nearly two hours due to crowd trouble. Morocco led Argentina 2-0 before Argentina scored and pressed for an equaliser. Cristian Medina appeared to make it 2-2 in the 16th minute of 15 scheduled injury-time minutes, sparking chaos.
The match eventually resumed in an empty stadium after a lengthy delay, with VAR disallowing Argentina’s equaliser, resulting in a controversial 2-1 victory for Morocco.
Both Moroccan goals were scored by Soufiane Rahimi, while Giuliano Simeone, son of Diego Simeone, scored for Argentina.
Argentina, managed by Javier Mascherano, must now secure positive results against Iraq and Ukraine to advance to the quarter-finals.
A statement from the tournament organisers said: “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.”
Here’s how the chaos and confusion unfolded…
- Immediately after Medina looked to have made it 2-2, a number of cups and bottles were then thrown at the celebrating Argentina side before what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff.
- A number of fans in Morocco colours also ran on to the pitch, with some being escorted off the pitch by stewards.
- Riot police moved to the side of the pitch and the referee immediately took the players off the pitch.
- The fans inside the stadium in Saint Etienne were told to leave the ground and a message on a big screen said: “Your session has been suspended please make your way to the nearest exit.”
- It was unclear whether the match had been classed as finished, but it was then revealed the final three minutes would be played in an empty stadium with no fans present.
- Before the match could be played to a finish, it was announced that Argentina’s potential equaliser had actually been ruled out by a video assistant referee decision that showed a player was offside before Medina scored.
- The players had gone off the pitch at 16:05 BST, and they then came back to warm up at 17:45 before the match could resume at 18:00.
- Immediately the referee checked to see if the ‘equaliser’ should stand via a pitchside monitor and, as expected, the ‘goal’ was disallowed.
- Play resumed just after 18:00 for the last three minutes, and with neither side scoring further, Morocco won the match 2-1.
Source: BBC Sports