The initial game of the Olympic football tournament experienced chaos due to an unexpected influx of spectators, which led to a suspension of the match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday. The game concluded with Argentina’s defeat at 2-1, post a Video Assistance Referee (VAR) review, despite the score being 2-2 prior to the interruption.
Cristian Medina from Argentina managed to score a potential 2-2 equaliser in the stoppage time, following a stalled play lasting about two hours. Subsequent to the teams returning to the field to complete the game in a vacant stadium, the aforementioned decision to reject the goal was declared.
The game, part of Group B, saw Morocco leading at 2-1, and nearing its end, two unsuccessful attempts were made by Argentina who hit the goal post twice, before midfielder Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time. Despite their efforts, their equalising score led to the field being bombarded with objects, compelling the removal of the players for security purposes.
Post-Medina’s disallowed goal, the spectators were instructed to depart from the stadium, accompanied by an on-screen message stating, “Your session has been suspended, please leave the stadium.” Following a prolonged delay exceeding an hour, the match was resumed behind closed doors, with just three minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Medina’s attempted equaliser in the 106th minute was disqualified for a preceding offside.