Argentina were in ecstasy as Cristian Medina appeared to score a last-second equalizer in their debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics against Morocco. But almost two hours later, they found out the goal didn’t stand.
The Argentina – Morocco game was suspended due to pitch invaders shortly after Cristian Medina’s goal, but it turns out that the referee Glenn Nyberg was planning to add more minutes to the match.
Even though he had already added 15 minutes and Medina’s goal seemed to be the last play of the match, both the official and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) determined to resume the game as they considered there were remaining minutes to be played.
As the match wasn’t finished, the referee decided to check Argentina’s second goal at VAR. When reviewing the play on the monitor, he disallowed the equalizer as Medina was offside.
Nicolas Otamendi #16 of Team Argentina reacts towards Referee Glenn Nyberg after VAR disallowed Team Argentina’s second goal during the Men’s group B match between Argentina and Morocco during the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on July 24, 2024 in Saint-Etienne, France.
Morocco end up beating Argentina 2-1 in controversial Paris 2024 debut
With Argentina’s equalizer disallowed, Morocco’s lead was restored and the match resumed with the three minutes Nyberg intended to add before the fans stormed the field nearly two hours before.
The time left in the game wasn’t enough for La Albiceleste to find another equalizer, so when it looked like Argentina’s Olympic debut would be a hard-fought draw, it ended up in a bizarre loss.
Argentina vs. Morocco Olympic debut marred by whistles, firecrackers, and oitch invaders
Needless to say, it was a controversial start to the soccer event at Paris 2024. Nearly two hours separated Medina’s goal and the ref’s decision after VAR review, and by the time the game resumed, the stadium was already empty.
There was no Olympic spirit whatsoever by a large group of fans, with Morocco supporters whistling Argentina from the moment they took the field in Saint-Etienne.
On top of that, they threw firecrackers and bottles to the Argentine players when Medina scored. Others stormed the field, leading to the game’s suspension. On the very first day of action, Paris 2024 has already witnessed a shameful episode.
