The Paris Olympics football tournament had a tumultuous start. The Argentina vs Morocco men’s football game was suspended due to hooliganism. The incident occurred when angry Morocco fans invaded the pitch and then frightening Argentina players with firecrackers. This chaotic scene led to a nearly two-hour suspension of the game.
Morocco’s Controversial Victory
Morocco secured a wild 2-1 win over Argentina during the controversy of their fans. In the 16th minute of stoppage time, Argentina seemed to score an equalizer. This made the Morocco fans tense. They threw objects onto the field which led to the security to take action. The security identified the suspects and ordered them to leave the field.
The goal was eventually ruled offside just before play resumed. Morocco players celebrated as the final minutes concluded in the Argentina vs Morocco match. Argentina who won the 2004 and 2008 olympics games made a comeback after being 2-0. Soufiane Rahimi scored twice for Morocco including a penalty kick in the 49th minute.
Fan Invasion and Suspension
The situation worsened when Morocco fans stormed the field in Argentina vs Morocco. This forced the officials to put the game on hold. The teams had to leave the field and wait for nearly two hours. The game resumed in an empty stadium after the VAR review disallowed Argentina’s late goal. Argentina manager Javier Mascherano expressed his frustration calling the Argentina vs Morocco incident a scandal.
#ARGMAR Major #Scandal at #Paris2024
— Fanatico Football (@fanatico_japan) July 24, 2024
In the #Argentina vs #Morocco match, an inexplicable 15-minute stoppage time led to an Argentinian goal. Moroccan fans feel cheated sparking Chaos. Accusations of #corruption arise, damaging #football's reputation at #OlympicGames #Olympics pic.twitter.com/KrazIcf2IN
Lionel Messi also showed his anger in the Argentina vs Morocco match. When the game was suspended due to the Moroccan fans’ pitch invasion. After the suspension of the game for two minutes the players returned to the field and were given three extra minutes where Argentina goal was not accepted due to VAR. Therefore the football great posted on his Instagram story saying ‘Insolito’ in Argentina language which means unbelievable in English.
Olympic organizers stated they are working with stakeholders to understand the causes of the pitch invasion. They aim to determine appropriate measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
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Other Matches on Opening Day
In other matches other than Argentina vs Morocco the host France had a strong start to their tournament in Marseille. They won 3-0 against the United States. Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring with a long-range effort followed by goals from Michael Olise and Loic Bade.
Israel’s match against Mali ended in a 1-1 draw. The game was played in tight security due to geopolitical tensions. Diallo Hamidou’s own goal put Israel ahead but Doumbia Cheickna equalized for Mali.
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