A fan invasion caused chaos during the opening match of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday.
The game, initially tied at 2-2, saw Argentina ultimately lose 2-1 after a VAR review following the suspension of play. Cristian Medina appeared to have secured a 2-2 draw for Argentina with a stoppage-time goal, but this was overturned about two hours later when the teams returned to finish the match in an empty stadium.
After VAR disallowed the goal, the teams played for an additional three minutes and 15 seconds. Order was restored in Saint-Etienne after the fan invasion, and it was discovered that the match had been suspended but not completed.
The venue manager confirmed the interruption and mentioned discussions about whether to finish the match. The teams re-emerged just before 7:00 p.m. local time and warmed up again to play the final minutes.
Despite fielding recent Copa America winners, Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi, and Geronimo Rulli, Argentina was not at their best.
Soufiane Rahimi scored twice for Morocco, first just before halftime after a superb passing move set up by PSG defender, Achraf Hakimi, and again from the penalty spot in the 49th minute. Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for Argentina in the 68th minute.
Medina’s goal in the 16th minute of stoppage time led to fans storming the pitch and objects being thrown at players, causing chaos in the eastern French city.
