Referee annuls goal for Argentinians after two hours of deliberation, Morocco takes all spoils in tournament opener

(Patria) - Fan invasion, a two-hour delay, an annulled goal, and Morocco's 2-1 victory over Argentina are the results of the chaotic opening of the Olympic football tournament in Paris.

Argentinian Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of stoppage time for a 2-2 draw, but it was disallowed two hours after the match ended when the teams returned to the field to complete the game in front of empty stands.

Upon the players' return to the field, the referee disallowed the equalizing goal, and the match briefly continued, ending in a 2-1 victory for Morocco.

Shortly before the end of the match, about twenty Moroccan fans invaded the pitch of the "Geoffroy-Guichard" stadium in Saint-Etienne, and some fans threw bottles and glasses onto the grass, causing the Swedish referee to stop the match.

It seemed the referee had blown the final whistle, and the media reported that the Argentinians had secured a point in a shocking finish. However, the Swede Glenn Nyberg had only stopped the match.

An almost two-hour deliberation followed on whether the match would continue or be abandoned.

Finally, the teams appeared on the field after 7 PM to play the final minutes.

Argentina's equalizing goal was ultimately disallowed for offside, and Morocco defended their lead in the additional three minutes.

The match started at 3 PM, meaning it lasted over four hours.

The Argentinians, coached by Javier Mascherano and led by Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, have won two gold medals (2004, 2008), but failed to advance from the group stage in the last two Olympic tournaments.

Things did not start well for them in France either. They were met with whistles after a video recently surfaced showing Argentinian footballers singing derogatory songs about French players of African descent during their Copa America celebrations.

Morocco took the lead in the final moments of the first half with a goal from Genk midfielder Bilal El Khannouss, and in the sixth minute of the second half, Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty for 2-0.

In the 68th minute, Giuliano Simeone, the young forward for Atletico Madrid and son of Atletico coach Diego Simeone, reduced the deficit.

In the remainder of the match, the Argentinians pushed for an equalizer and managed to score for 2-2 in the 16th minute of stoppage time, with Boca Juniors midfielder Cristian Medina as the scorer.

However, two hours later, their goal was disallowed.