Morocco had been leading 2-1 after 90 minutes but 15 minutes of added time were then announced before referee Glenn Nyberg allowed the game to go into the 106th minute when Cristian Medina’s late ‘goal’ appeared to have salvaged Argentina a draw.
This prompted fury from supporters of Morocco and, with some storming the pitch at St Etienne, Nyberg signalled for the players to leave the field of play. Cups and bottles had also been thrown at celebrating Argentina players and what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff.
It initially appeared that a 2-2 result would stand. A message on the big screen inside the stadium even said “your session has been suspended please make your way to the nearest exit” and the fans left shortly after 5pm local French time.
However, after a delay of around 100 minutes, the players then returned to the pitch to begin warming up and it was announced that the match would resume at 7pm with no fans.
The officials decided that a further three minutes should be played and, following a VAR check, also ruled that Medina’s ‘equaliser’ would be disallowed after another player was offside in the build-up.
The match finally then did restart, with Morocco holding out to clinch a 2-1 victory thanks to earlier goals either side of half-time from Soufiane Rahimi.
Argentina’s head coach, the former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano, branded the farce “the biggest circus I’ve ever seen in my life” as he expressed his frustration – in particular when a fan halted the game to get a selfie with striker Julian Alvarez.
“I have not been a coach for long, but never in my career as a player have I seen a situation like that,” said Mascherano, who won Olympic gold medals with Argentina in 2004 and 2008.
“It is a circus. But that is how it is. We cannot control it. I told the boys that now we need to look forward, try to get the six points that will allow us to qualify and that all this should fill us with energy and anger for what we have ahead of us.”
“It is a disgrace that this should happen and poison the tournament. This wouldn’t even happen in a neighbourhood tournament. It’s pathetic,” he added.
“Beyond the Olympic spirit, the organisation needs to be up to standard and at the moment, unfortunately, it is not.”
Argentina legend Lionel Messi summed up his nation’s frustration in one word on social media, saying “Insolito” [unbelievable].
A statement from the tournament organisers said: “The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended because of 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.”
Giuliano Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid manager Diego, had scored Argentina’s consolation goal.
Meanwhile, Spain, who struggled to find their pace in the opening stages of the game, took the lead in the 29th minute against Uzbekistan with a close-range finish from Marc Pubill off Abel Ruiz’s flicked ball.
Uzbekistan, cheered by an ecstatic crowd, equalised just before halftime thanks to Eldor Shomurodov’s penalty following a VAR review for a Pau Cubarsi foul.
Spain wasted a golden chance to restore the lead after the break when Sergio Gomez’s penalty effort was saved by Abduvohid Nematov, but the Real Sociedad player redeemed himself and found the net in the 62nd minute to earn Spain their first three points in Group C.
