Competition at the Paris Olympics begins with soccer matches involving Spain and Argentina

PARIS (AP) — Competitions at the Paris Olympics officially began with players kicking off at soccer matches involving Spain and Argentina in Paris and Saint-Etienne on Wednesday.

Spain took on Uzbekistan at Parc des Princes in western Paris — once the home of French striker Kylian Mbappé when he played for Paris Saint-Germain.

The honor of kicking off went to Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov, who played for Italian side Cagliari in Serie A last season and had scored 40 goals for his country before this match. The 29-year-old Shomurodov passed the ball back to a teammate and then applauded. FIFA president Gianni Infantino met players before the game.

Argentina, playing without Lionel Messi in these Games, also got the ball rolling at 3 p.m. against Morocco in Saint-Étienne at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium. It is nicknamed Le Chaudron (The Cauldron) for the fervent atmosphere created by passionate supporters of the local club.

Fans of Morocco and Argentina mingled outside and two Argentina fans held up a flag with a photo of the late Diego Maradona on it, along with the words “El Pibe de Oro” (the Golden Kid) — the affectionate nickname fans called the 1986 World Cup winner.

There was also a joyful atmosphere in the streets leading to Parc des Princes, which is near where Olympic tennis will be played at Roland Garros, home of the French Open.

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Around 150 Uzbekistan fans met outside Porte d’Auteuil subway station, waving flags, singing songs and beating a drum as they walked to the stadium accompanied by a light police presence.

Security was set to be much higher outside the same stadium on Wednesday night, when Israel played Mali in Group D amid ongoing tensions in Gaza.

Eight soccer matches were scheduled for Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony. The rugby sevens also had 12 matches Wednesday, starting at 3:30 p.m. with Australia playing Samoa at Stade de France, the national stadium. Host France was in action there later against the United States. Archery and handball also begin play before the opening ceremony with preliminary action Thursday.