In a truly extraordinary turn of events, the Paris 2024 Olympic football tournament was thrown into chaos. Argentina and Morocco’s opening group match at Saint-Étienne, which initially ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw, was taken an unprecedented twist.
From 2-2 to 2-1 in favour of Morocco
The South American side appeared to have salvaged a point with a 105th-minute equalizer by Cristian Medina, erupting in jubilant celebrations. However, Morocco immediately protested the goal, claiming it should have been disallowed for offside. The situation escalated dramatically when the entire Moroccan team stormed off the pitch before the match could be officially concluded, forcing the referee to suspend the game.
In a move that has never been seen before in top-tier football, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has ordered both teams to return to the field to complete the remaining minutes of the match, nearly an hour after the initial full-time whistle.
Upon resumption, the referee overturned the original decision and ruled that Argentina’s goal was indeed offside. The match then continued for the final few minutes, with Morocco eventually securing a 2-1 victory. It was a shocking defeat for the current World and Copa America Champions, who were playing with two household names in Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez.
