Sunday , 22 December, 2024 | 8 পৌষ, 1431 Bangabdo
Published: 05:47 25 July 2024
Argentina's goal was disallowed by referee Reuters 2 hours after the match was suspended
A day before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, several events have started, football being one of them. The interest of the sports lovers was also high as the beginning of the medal fight in football was given to Argentina. But the bitter experience the Argentines had to go through yesterday is amazing.
Argentina bounced back from two goals down in a dramatic match against Morocco at St Etienne yesterday. Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time after Giuliano Simeone in the 68th minute. After this goal, everyone assumed that the match was a 2-2 draw.
But immediately after Argentina's goal, fans started throwing bottles and plastic cups from the gallery onto the pitch. A flare was also aimed at Manchester City's Argentinian forward Julián Alvarez, which landed near him. Within moments, the Moroccan fans entered the field as well. At that moment, Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg announced the suspension of the match as the security personnel could not stop the chaos.
Unruly spectators were kicked out of the stadium by security personnel
Unruly spectators were escorted out of the stadium by security personnel Reuters
According to the rules of Olympic football, the match ends there if the players of the two teams do not want to play anymore. As Medina's last-minute goal tied Argentina at 2-2 with only 3 minutes remaining in the match, neither team wanted to take the field again.
But after throwing out the rowdy spectators from the stadium, the referee called the players back to the field when the situation came under control. Argentina's second goal was disallowed by VAR for offside as the players took the field. Then the game continued for another 3 minutes and 15 seconds. However, in such a short period of time, Argentina did not return to the match. In the end, the Argentines had to leave the field with a 2-1 loss.
Argentina coach Javier Macherano called the disallowance of Argentina's goal "the biggest circus of his life" after the French fans rioted in the stadium. The players of the national team also stand next to the Olympic football team. From captain Lionel Messi to midfielder Rodrigo Di Paul and defender Nicolas Taliafico, social media expressed their outrage.
Security personnel are taking out the Moroccan fans who entered the field
Security personnel escorting Moroccan supporters out of the fieldAFP
Messi wrote on his Instagram story, 'abnormal'. With a surprise emoji used. Messi, who has been sidelined since injuring his right ankle in the Copa America final, is spending a holiday with his family. However, the fact that he is watching the match of the Olympic football team of Argentina can be understood by his immediate reaction.
The Paul supported the team and wrote on Instagram, "I'm with you more than ever." You can lose everyone.'
Another teammate of Messi-Di Paul, Taliafico, went on holiday to Seychelles, an island country located in the Indian Ocean. From there he wrote to X, 'Quit the circus. Are we talking about the reasons for the postponement of the match or are we acting like idiots? If it had been the other way around (opponents had scored or bottles, flares had been thrown at opposing players), then I can't imagine what they would have said.'
After Medina's (disallowed) goal, it's easy to imagine why the crowd wanted to pounce on the Argentine players. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have been hurled racist abuse by Argentina's players and fans since winning the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar after defeating France in a tiebreaker.
Argentina's complaint to FIFA claiming "violation of the rules".
Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez's controversial song about French footballers while celebrating on the team bus after winning the recent Copa America has reignited an old controversy.
This time, since the Argentine football team went to play the Olympics on the soil of France, the French did not take much time to explode their pent-up anger.
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