Morocco Upsets Argentina In Olympics Soccer Opener After Chaotic Incident

Morocco upset Argentina , 2-1, in their pre-opening ceremony 2024 Paris Olympics under-23 team Group B match on Wednesday (July 24) following a chaotic incident that resulted in a temporary suspension of play.

Argentina appeared to tie the match at 2-2 on a would-be goal by Cristian Medina during injury time, however, the decision the play was instead ruled as an offsides call following a VAR review about one hour and 25 minutes after play was suspended. The live broadcast showed some Argentina players flinching after what appeared to be a flare was thrown, along with bottles and cups seen on the pitch after the goal.

The Olympics website listed the match as "interrupted" by the chaotic fan response and the match resumed long after fans were informed that the match had been suspended and ordered to leave the stadium.

Morocco held a 2-0 lead before Argentina rallied with Giuliano Simeone 's goal in the 68th minute and Medina's would-be goal late into stoppage time. The Argentinas were booed by the Paris spectators for midfielder Enzo Fernández 's recent video controversy in which he celebrated his country's Copa America victory with a chant that the French Football Federation deemed as "racist and discriminatory."

The Argentina national under-23 team had previously won gold in 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, but failed to qualify at the 2012 London Games and were eliminated during the opening rounds of the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games.

You can stream the biggest play-by-play action during live prime events on NBC Olympics Radio or tune in to NBC Olympics Radio Plus for 24-7 play-by-play coverage during the 2024 Paris Olympics.