The opening match of the men’s Olympic football tournament at Paris 2024 between Argentina and Morocco ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne. The game was marked by late drama and controversy, culminating in a pitch invasion by Moroccan fans.Morocco took a commanding 2-0 lead through Soufiane Rahimi, who scored in the 45th minute of the first half and again from a penalty in the 51st minute. Argentina, led by coach Javier Mascherano, fought back valiantly. Giuliano Simeone reduced the deficit in the 68th minute, setting the stage for a tense finale.The drama reached its peak in added time. After two shots hit the crossbar and two spectacular saves by the Moroccan goalkeeper, Cristian Medina finally headed home the equalizer for Argentina in the 16th minute of stoppage time. This goal sparked controversy, with Moroccan fans invading the pitch and reportedly throwing objects at Argentine players.Both teams earned their first point in Group B of the tournament. Argentina, the Olympic champions in 2004 and 2008, are aiming to continue their recent success following their 2022 World Cup victory. They will face Iraq on Saturday, while Morocco will take on Ukraine.This match sets the tone for what promises to be an exciting Olympic football tournament, with teams like Spain also starting their campaigns strongly.
Key points
- Argentina and Morocco drew 2-2 in their Olympic football opener at Paris 2024.
- Soufiane Rahimi scored twice for Morocco, while Giuliano Simeone and Cristian Medina scored for Argentina.
- The match ended in controversy with a pitch invasion by Moroccan fans after Argentina’s late equalizer.
- Both teams earned their first point in Group B, with matches against Ukraine and Iraq still to come.
Contradictionsđź‘ľThere are slight discrepancies in the reported timing of goals across different sources, particularly for Rahimi’s second goal (49th minute in some reports, 51st in others) and Simeone’s goal (63rd minute in one report, 68th in others).
