A 106th-minute equalizer would usually be a more than adequate capstone for any football match, but when Cristian Medina scrambled home a header in the final knockings of Argentina men’s Olympics opener against Morocco the drama had only just begun.
Two hours later the final whistle blew on a game that most thought had ended in a 2-2 draw, Morocco 2-1 victors in the first game of Group B. Here’s how what will surely be one of the most dramatic moments of Paris 2024 played out:
What had happened before Medina’s goal that wasn’t?
Quite a lot actually. Argentina were hardly given the warmest of welcomes in Saint-Etienne — more on that momentarily — and their opponents Morocco were hardly inclined to make life easy for one of the pre-tournament favorites anyway. Africa’s Under-23 champions were outstanding from the outset and were good value for the lead they claimed on the stroke of half time, Soufiane Rahimi sweeping home at the end of a fine team move.
When the Al Ain striker doubled his side’s lead from the penalty spot in the second half, Julio Soler having pushed Ilias Akhomach in the penalty area, it seemed Morocco were bound for a famous triumph over the two time Olympic champions. Giuliano Simeone halved the deficit but the Atlas Lions were clinging on, at least until the last exchanges. Thiago Almada’s jinking on the edge of the box prompting chaos inside it, Munir El Kajoui saving twice, the bar hit twice. Medina headed in at close range and that seemed to be that, the celebrations of Javier Mascherano’s side prompting angry reactions in the stand. Still most were of the impression that the game was done, the points were split.
Why did the crowd have such a problem with Argentina?
Given that Moroccan immigrants and their descendants make up one of the largest such communities in France, Argentina might always have expected the crowd to be against them in the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard. Events in recent weeks though served to heighten the level of enmity aimed at the Argentine football team. After all, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez had posted a video to social media in which the victorious Copa America side made racist chants about France and the nationality of their footballers.
To what extent recent events heightened the hostility is hard to quantify but this was a game that followed several of the more disturbing trends of the footballing summer. At least one supporter had run onto the pitch before Medina’s equalizer. When that goal went in more took to the field while objects were thrown at players, who hastily departed to the dressing room.
So the game was just suspended, right?
It did not seem so. A string of news outlets, including Reuters and CBS Sports, reported on a game that they believed had reached its conclusion. It only became apparent around half an hour after what most thought had been the game’s conclusion that the match had been “interrupted”, as the Olympics’ own live coverage put it. That was then momentarily changed to a final score even as reports emerged from the Argentina camp that the players were unaware whether the game had reached its conclusion.
In the ground the scoreboard read “Your session has been suspended, please leave the stadium.” At just after 7:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET) the players returned to the pitch, fans having vacated the stadium, for 20 minutes of warm ups. Three more minutes were to be played.
In a statement to CBS Sports, a Paris 2024 spokesperson said, “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators. The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.”
One last chance for Argentina to win the game?
Not quite. What had become apparent in the intervening period was that a VAR check was required on the events leading up to Medina putting the ball in the net. The Boca Juniors player had been offside in the build up. The goal would not stand and Argentina would have three minutes to chase an equalizer. They never really got close. Morocco, quite understandably, packed their box and challenged their opponent to break them down. There was hardly even a save of note for El Kajoui to make. Four hours after the game had kicked off, Morocco were victorious.
What happens next?
In footballing terms, Argentina have three days to dust themselves off before they face Iraq in Lyon. Win that game and their meeting with Ukraine on July 30 and they will likely have done enough to qualify for the quarterfinals, allowing them to move on from Wednesday’s dramatic events.
However frustration is already building at the events around the defeat. Argentina U23s boss Javier Mascherano, formerly of West Ham, described it as “the biggest circus I have ever seen in my life”. Lionel Messi’s one word post on Instagram read “Insólito”, meaning unusual. Nicolas Tagliafico, another player from the 2024 Copa America winning squad, was altogether less vague. He wrote on X: “Are we going to talk about the reason why it was suspended or are we going to continue being stupid? If it had been the other way around I can’t even imagine what they would be saying.”
