Paris Olympics uproar: Argentina's last-minute goal annulled
6:01 AM EDT, July 25, 2024
A scandal erupted on the first day of competition at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In the match between Argentina and Morocco, the referee annulled a goal two hours after it had been scored, and the players had to complete the match with an additional 3 minutes. This incident was summarized by the legendary player Lionel Messi.
The official opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will take place on Friday, July 26. However, as in previous Olympics, competition in some sports began earlier.
The competitions in the French capital started with soccer and rugby matches. The world was abuzz with the match where Argentina's national team lost to Morocco 1-2, despite the score being 2-2 for several hours.
What happened? In the 16th minute of added time, the Argentinians scored a goal that would have tied the game. Fans from Morocco then stormed the field, attacking the players and even throwing a firecracker towards them. Referee Glenn Nyberg halted the match.
At that point, the players returned to the locker room, but the match had not ended. The referee intended to resume it, but the players were concerned for their safety. Only when the fans left the stands did the match resume to complete the remaining three minutes. After a two-hour break, the referees decided that the 2-2 goal was offside and ruled it out.
"Unbelievable," the legendary Argentinian player Lionel Messi commented on the events via his Instagram story.
The reaction of the current Inter Miami player is not surprising. After all, this is likely the first such situation in football history, and it will surely be remembered for a long time.