A giant screen informs about the match's interruption following incidents in the men's group B football match between Argentina and Morocco during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium in Saint-Etienne on July 24, 2024.ARNAUD FINISTRE/Getty Images
Morocco secured a wild 2-1 win over Argentina at the start of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament on Wednesday – but not before furious fans invaded the pitch to protest what appeared to be an equalizer by Cristian Medina in the 16th-minute of stoppage time.
Objects were thrown onto the field and security had to restrain fans, causing the game in Saint-Étienne to be suspended for nearly two hours and the crowd being told to leave the stadium.
The goal was eventually ruled offside just before play resumed, sparking celebrations from Morocco players as the final minutes concluded.
It was a chaotic and dramatic start to the tournament after Argentina, which won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is considered among the favourites in France, mounted a comeback after going 2-0 down on goals from Soufiane Rahimi on either side of halftime.
Giuliano Simeone struck in the 68th minute and Argentina peppered Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui with shots before Medina’s header from close range appeared to tie it.
That caused outrage from Morocco fans, who rushed the field, while others threw trash, and the game was officially put on hold.
Rahimi had put Morocco ahead in first-half stoppage time, then converted on a penalty kick in the 49th, which proved to be the decisive goal against an Argentina team that included four members of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Sergio Gomez scored the winning goal in Spain’s 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan to open Group C.
The match at Parc des Princes in Paris was the first official competition of the Olympics and drew some 35,000 fans.
Ben Waine scored the go-ahead goal and New Zealand won its Group A opener 2-1 over Guinea in Nice.
Egypt and the Dominican Republic played to a 0-0 draw in Group C in Nantes.
Peter Gonzalez’s apparent goal for debutant Dominican Republic early in the match was called back because of a foul in the run-up.
Egypt has been to the Olympics 13 times, the most by an African nation, but has never finished higher than fourth. The team made the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Games.
Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio scored two goals each in Japan’s 5-0 rout of Paraguay in Group D.
Substitute Ali Jasim came on to seal a comeback 2-1 win for Iraq against Ukraine in Group B.