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Followers stormed the pitch and threw bottles on the gamers after Argentina scored what gave the impression to be a late equaliser towards Morocco as Olympic soccer kicked off with confusion and chaos in Saint-Etienne.
Cristian Medina netted within the sixteenth minute of damage time to salvage what regarded like a 2-2 draw for Argentina within the males’s soccer Group B fixture earlier than being pelted with bottles and cups from the stands. Supporters then invaded the pitch and began throwing firecrackers, with some gamers visibly flinching earlier than heading off down the tunnel at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
Nonetheless, as soon as the groups left the pitch, gamers found that the match had not been accomplished however suspended by officers, with the full-time whistle not formally blown. The Olympics web site additionally confirmed the match as “interrupted”, though many shops switched their protection to full-time.
Greater than an hour later, it was confirmed that the groups would return to the pitch to play the ultimate three minutes behind closed doorways and that the gamers can be given 20 minutes to heat up.
Along with this, Argentina’s equaliser had additionally been dominated out after a VAR evaluation in the course of the suspension, that means Morocco would resume the competition main 2-1. There was no additional drama and the north African nation noticed out the remaining seconds to seal a shock victory.
It was an inauspicious begin to the Olympics, with some sports activities starting earlier than Friday’s opening ceremony and the 3pm (native time) kick-off making the match one of many very first occasions of Paris 2024. However the complicated, chaotic ending was instantly a poor search for the hosts.
Argentina have been booed by spectators all through the match amid Enzo Fernandez’s video controversy labelled by the French Soccer Federation as “racist and discriminatory”.
The gold medal winners in 2004 and 2008 did not show their finest play regardless of lining up current Copa America winners Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli.
Soufiane Rahimi put Morocco forward as Achraf Hakimi set him up from the fitting after an excellent passing transfer within the closing seconds of the primary half. Rahimi doubled the benefit and netted his second from the penalty spot within the forty ninth minute earlier than Giuliano Simeone pulled one again for Javier Mascherano’s aspect within the 68th.
Medina then discovered the online 16 minutes into stoppage time earlier than followers stormed the pitch and objects have been thrown at gamers as chaos erupted within the jap French metropolis, just for the purpose to later be dominated out by VAR, play to renew after greater than an hour’s suspension and Morocco to seal a 2-1 win.
Further reporting by Reuters
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