Morocco’s players celebrate at the end of the men’s Group B soccer match between Argentina and Morocco at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Saint-Etienne, France. Morocco won 2-1.
| Photo Credit: AP
Morocco secured a wild 2-1 win over Argentina at the start of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament on July 24 — but not before furious fans invaded the pitch to protest what appeared to be an equalizer by Cristian Medina in the 16th-minute of stoppage time.
Objects were thrown onto the field and security had to restrain fans, causing the game in Saint-Etienne to be suspended for nearly two hours and the crowd being told to leave the stadium.
The goal was eventually ruled offside just before play resumed, sparking celebrations from Morocco players as the final minutes concluded.
It was a chaotic and dramatic start to the tournament after Argentina, which won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and is considered among the favorites in France, mounted a comeback after going 2-0 down on goals from Soufiane Rahimi on either side of halftime.
Giuliano Simeone struck in the 68th minute and Argentina peppered Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui with shots before Medina’s header from close range appeared to tie it.
That caused outrage from Morocco fans, who rushed the field, while others threw trash, and the game was officially put on hold.
Rahimi had put Morocco ahead in first-half stoppage time, then converted on a penalty kick in the 49th, which proved to be the decisive goal against an Argentina team that included four members of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Sergio Gomez scored the winning goal in Spain’s victory over Uzbekistan to open Group C.
The match at Parc des Princes in Paris was the first official competition of the Olympics and drew some 35,000 fans.
Marc Pubill scored in the 29th minute for Spain, which won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. The team has won silver twice since then, most recently at the Tokyo Games.
Eldor Shomurodov converted on a penalty kick in first-half stoppage time to tie it for Uzbekistan, which was making its first Olympic appearance.
Gomez had a penalty saved by Abduvohid Nematov in the 59th minute, but some three minutes later he scored from about 12 yards out.
Ben Waine scored the go-ahead goal and New Zealand won its Group A opener over Guinea in Nice.
New Zealand was awarded a penalty in the 24th minute, but Guinea goalkeeper Soumaila Sylla dove to punch away captain Matthew Garbett’s attempt. New Zealand quickly recovered and Garbett scored a minute later for a 1-0 lead.
Guinea leveled with Amadou Diawara’s goal in the 72nd, but New Zealand answered a minute later through Waine.
New Zealand advanced to the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games, while Guinea was making its Olympic debut.
Egypt and the Dominican Republic played to a scoreless draw in Group C in Nantes.
Peter Gonzalez’s apparent goal for debutant Dominican Republic early in the match was called back because of a foul in the run-up.
Egypt has been to the Olympics 13 times, the most by an African nation, but has never finished higher than fourth. The team made the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Games.
Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio scored two goals each in Japan’s rout of Paraguay in Group D.
Japan took full advantage of Paraguay being reduced to 10 men in Bordeaux when Wilder Vera was sent off in the 25th by scoring four goals in the second half. Vera was shown red following a VAR review of a foul on Yu Hirakawa.
By that point, Mito had already opened the scoring in the 18th. He added a second in the 63rd.
Rihito Yamamoto made it 3-0 six minutes later and Fujio, who came on for Mito in the in the 73rd, rounded off the win with goals in the 81st and 87th.
Substitute Ali Jasim came on to seal a comeback win for Iraq against Ukraine in Group B.
Ukraine had led through Valentyn Rubchynskyi’s opener in the 53rd in Lyon, but Iraq was quickly given the chance to level from the penalty spot.
Aymen Hussein converted in the 56th and Ali struck the winner in the 75th.
Iraq is top of the group, level with Morocco on three points.
