Chaos as Morocco defeat Argentina in Olympic opener

This ruling dashed the Albiceleste's hopes of avoiding a third consecutive group-stage elimination at the Games.

The match at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard started at a frantic pace, but neither team managed to hit the target in the first 30 minutes.

Captain Nicolas Otamendi, one of Argentina's three overage players, missed a good opportunity when he headed wide from Thiago Almada's free-kick.

Moroccan hearts skipped a beat when goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi almost made a costly mistake while playing out from the back.

On the other end, Ilias Akhomach's efforts forced Geronimo Rulli to clear the ball with a punch.

The stalemate was finally broken just before half-time, with Akhomach being the catalyst for the goal.

His audacious backheel set up Bilal El Khannouss, who delivered a precise low cross that was skillfully converted by Soufiane Rahimi, even as Rulli attempted to block the shot with a dive at his feet.

Following the interval, Akhomach, the former Barcelona winger, orchestrated Morocco's second goal by outplaying Otamendi.

He was fouled by Julio Soler in the box, leading to Rahimi confidently converting the resulting penalty to secure his second goal of the match.

Argentina's head coach, Javier Mascherano, made a swift decision to bring in Giuliano Simeone, son of Diego, in place of Kevin Zenon. On the other hand, Tarik Sektioui, the opposing coach, opted to substitute Akhomach with Abde Ezzalzouli.

Ezzalzouli wasted no time in making an impact, sprinting down the right flank and setting up Rahimi, who unfortunately missed a chance to secure a hat-trick.

Despite the missed opportunity, Simeone managed to convert a cross from Soler, equalizing the score and setting the stage for an intense finish.

The game saw Munir denying Julian Alvarez a late chance, leading to an astonishing 15 minutes of added time due to a contentious second half.

Just when it seemed like the Atlas Lions had survived the pressure, Cristian Medina scored a crucial goal for Argentina, causing chaos among Morocco fans who believed it should have been disallowed.

Following the goal, some Morocco supporters entered the field in protest, leading to a delay in the match. Eventually, the game resumed behind closed doors after the referee confirmed that Medina's goal was offside.

Argentina, who have won the Olympic men's football tournament twice, will need to regroup as they prepare to face Iraq on Saturday, while Morocco will play against Ukraine later in the day.