Morocco Upsets Argentina in Contentious Match Marred by Fan Disruptions

A pitch invasion in Wednesday's opening clash of the Olympic football tournament between Argentina and Morocco caused chaos. Argentina eventually defeated 2-1 following a VAR review after play was suspended with the score tied at 2-2. Cristian Medina scored late in the injury time to rescue what looked like a 2-2 draw, but the decision deeming the goal as offside was made nearly two hours after the play was suspended. 

After the order was reinstated in Saint Etienne and the sides had left the field following the fan invasion, they found that the match had not been concluded but was suspended by officials.

According to the venue manager, the game had been interrupted, adding that the decision about whether the match would be concluded was being held. 

The teams re-appeared on the pitch to finish the game in an empty stadium, playing for 3 minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its review and ruled out the goal. 

I don't remember something like this happening at this level, that the match is suspended for an hour and a half, warming up for 10 minutes and then playing three," said Argentina manager Javier Mascherano.

"What happened on the pitch was a scandal, it's not a neighbourhood tournament, it's the Olympics."

To understand the causes of the fan invasion organisers said they are working with stakeholders to take appropriate measures. 

Soufiane Rahimi struck twice for Morocco, the latter from the penalty spot shortly after half-time. Giuliano Simeone, though, hauled the 2004 and 2008 gold medallists back in contention via a 68th-minute effort.

In Marseille, hosts France had a very strong start to their tournament with two goals in eight minutes after the hour mark. A late Loic Bade header gave them a very comfortable 3-0 win over the United States. A long-range effort of high quality opened the scoring for the French, skipper Alexandre Lacazette, and right on the hour, a fine strike from Michael Olise doubled the advantage for Thierry Henry's side.

The opening match in Group D between Israel and Mali went ahead at the Parc des Princes in Paris without any problems despite heightened geopolitical tensions. An own goal by Diallo Hamidou put Israel ahead in the 1-1 draw, but Doumbia Cheickna pulled Mali level with a fine header.

Spain defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the first of the afternoon's Group C matches, having at times found life hard going during the opening. Marc Pubill scored the opening goal in the 29th, while Sergio Gomez struck in the 62nd to make up for missing a penalty. "For me, Uzbekistan came as no surprise," Spain coach Santi Denia said. "We reached the target that we wanted, but it's been a really hard game, and now we need to improve. That belongs to my job."