Morocco secured a surprise 2-1 victory over Argentina in their Paris Olympic men’s football group stage match on Wednesday, a game that was marred by crowd trouble.
The match, held at the Parc des Princes Stadium, saw Morocco take an early lead thanks to two goals from Soufiane Rahimi. Argentina’s Giuliano Simeone managed to pull one back in the 68th minute, setting the stage for a tense finish.
Controversy erupted in the final moments when Cristian Medina of Argentina appeared to have equalized, making it 2-2.
However, several spectators wearing Morocco colors ran onto the pitch, causing the players to temporarily leave as the police intervened to control the situation.
After nearly two hours of suspension, during which all fans were cleared from the stadium, the VAR ruled Medina’s goal offside. The match resumed for a brief three minutes in an empty stadium, and Morocco held onto their 2-1 lead until the final whistle.
The result leaves Argentina in a precarious position. To advance to the knockout stage, they now have to rely on favorable outcomes from their remaining group matches against Iraq and Ukraine.
In other matches on Wednesday, Uzbekistan looked dangerous from the start, threatening Spain on several occasions. Spain managed to withstand Uzbekistan’s attacks and went ahead 1-0 in the 29th minute when right defender Marc Pubill scored from a free kick by captain Abel Ruiz.
Uzbekistan equalized with a penalty kick just before the break, converted by skipper Elder Shomurodov after Pau Cubarsi pulled down Muhammadkodir Hamraliev.
Spain had another chance from the penalty spot, but Sergio Gomez’s effort was denied by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov. Three minutes later, Gomez redeemed himself by putting the ball past Nematov, securing Spain’s victory.
Hosts France did not disappoint their home fans, with star players Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise, and Loic Bade each scoring in the second half to see off the United States 3-0.
Asian powerhouses Japan showcased their prowess with a dominant 5-0 win over Paraguay, featuring a goal from Rihito Yamamoto sandwiched between braces from Shunsuke Mito and Shota Fujio.
Other results on Wednesday saw New Zealand beat Guinea 2-1, Egypt draw with the Dominican Republic 0-0, Iraq defeat Ukraine 2-1, and Israel tie Mali 1-1.
