Argentina’s coach, Javier Mascherano, described the scene as a circus after a pitch invasion led to a dramatic and extended conclusion to their 2-1 loss in opposition to Morocco in their Olympic opener in Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.
The match descended into chaos while a pitch invasion caused a suspension of over an hour. The recreation resumed in the back of closed doorways, and even though Cristian Medina seemed to secure a 2-2 draw for Argentina with a last-minute goal, VAR ruled it out for offside shortly after play resumed.
The disallowed equalizer ignited wild scenes at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne, with spectators throwing items at the Argentine players in a tense environment. The Argentine group was booed by some members of the crowd, probably in reaction to pictures of their players chanting music classified as “racist and discriminatory” by the French Football Federation following their Copa América victory this month.
Following Medina’s goal, each team was taken off the pitch with the aid of the referee, and the game was declared “interrupted” on the Paris 2024 official internet site. Eventually, it was introduced that the very last three minutes would be completed behind closed doors. However, Medina’s 106th-minute aim turned into a disallowed offside.
Mascherano criticized the lack of conversation from the organizers even as the crew waited in the dressing room. Nevertheless, he urged his gamers to be aware of their upcoming Group B matches against Iraq and Ukraine, with their next match in opposition to Iraq in Lyon on Saturday.
The organizers stated they have been investigating the cause of the fan invasion and considering suitable measures. The incident forged a shadow over the tournament’s start, raising concerns about the organizers’ capability to ensure a clean and secure occasion.
Despite having Copa América winners like Julián Álvarez, Nicolás Otamendi, and Gerónimo Rulli, Argentina struggled to carry out their first-class. Soufiane Rahimi scored twice for Morocco, first inside the very last seconds of the first half and then from the penalty spot in the forty-ninth minute. Giuliano Simeone scored for Argentina inside the 68th minute, and they hit the bar twice before Medina’s disallowed equalizer.
In different matches, Spain defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in Paris, with desires from Marc Pubill and Sergio Gómez. Uzbekistan, supported by an enthusiastic crowd, equalized before halftime with Eldor Shomurodov’s penalty following a VAR-reviewed foul by way of Pau Cubarsi.
“For me, Uzbekistan were no surprise,” the Spain coach, Santi Denia, said afterwards. “We have achieved our objective, but it’s been a very difficult game and now it is time to improve. That’s my job, I have to transmit better.
“I told the team at half-time to improve ball circulation, which was what we were missing. We have to improve that. If we do it we will have more options to achieve victory.”
