1 year ago
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MARSEILLE, France (AP):
MOROCCO SECURED a wild 2-1 win over Argentina at the start of the Olympic men’s football tournament yesterday – but not before furious fans invaded the pitch to protest what appeared to be an equaliser by Cristian Medina in the 16th-minute of stoppage time.
Objects were thrown on to the field, and security had to restrain fans, causing the game in Saint-Etienne to be suspended for nearly two hours and the crowd being told to leave the stadium.
The goal was eventually ruled offside just before play resumed, sparking celebrations from Morocco players as the final minutes concluded.
It was a chaotic and dramatic start to the tournament after Argentina, who won gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and are considered among the favourites in France, mounted a comeback after going 2-0 down on goals from Soufiane Rahimi on either side of halftime.
Giuliano Simeone struck in the 68th minute, and Argentina peppered Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui with shots before Medina’s header from close range appeared to tie it.
OUTRAGE
That caused outrage from Morocco fans, who rushed the field, while others threw trash, and the game was officially put on hold.
Rahimi had put Morocco ahead in first-half stoppage time then converted on a penalty kick in the 49th, which proved to be the decisive goal against an Argentina team that included four members of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In another game yesterday, Israel’s national anthem was loudly jeered before its team kicked off play at the Paris Olympics against Mali.
The game began with a massive security presence outside the stadium amid an increasingly strained international climate that has Paris’ safety efforts squarely in the spotlight.
The Israel team arrived under heavy police escort, with motorbike riders at the front, and about a dozen riot police vans following behind. Armed police officers patrolled the Parc des Princes stadium, one with a rifle resting on his shoulder.
“We owe this security to the whole world,” France’s Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, said.
“The threats to our country are the threats that concern the Western world.”
The atmosphere outside the venue was calm, however. Fans from both countries mingled, holding up flags and posing for photos.
Mali fans sang proudly when their anthem was played first. When it came to Israel’s anthem, boos and whistles immediately rang out. The stadium speaker system playing the anthems then got notably louder in what seemed like an effort to drown out the jeers.
Once play began, Israeli players were booed each time they touched the ball. Security officials intervened in what appeared to be a heated argument between some fans. The commotion was near where one woman was holding a Palestinian flag. Two other people holding Palestine flags then stood next to the woman.
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