Lionel Messi called Argentina’s Olympics opener “unbelievable” after they were denied a late equaliser by VAR two hours after the final whistle in a 2-1 defeat to Morocco.
Sofiane Rahimi scored twice for Morocco as Giovani Simeone halved the deficit before a Cristian Medina equaliser in the 16th minute of added time was ruled out by VAR after play was suspended amid crowd trouble.
Argentina were faced with a hostile atmosphere from the predominantly French supporters as the backlash to Enzo Fernandez’s controversial video questioning the heritage of French players circulated online.
The dramatic conclusion to the game only riled up those tensions, with fans storming the pitch and players targeted by missiles after the disallowed goal.
Manager Javier Mascherano hit out at the chaos, which involved players returning to the field to play the final three minutes of the game in an empty stadium more than three hours after the original kick-off.
🤯 INCROYABLE SÉQUENCE : l’arbitre d’Argentine-Maroc annule le deuxième but argentin… deux heures après la suspension de la rencontre !
Les joueurs sont revenus sur le terrain pour disputer les trois dernières minutes et le Maroc s’est finalement imposé 2-1 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/1XswW8uXin
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 24, 2024
The former midfielder was heard on broadcast calling the match the “biggest circus I have ever seen in my life”.
Argentinian icon Messi, who is not involved in Argentina’s Olympic campaign, was left similarly shocked, posting a single word on his Instagram story “Insolito” – which translates as “unbelievable”.
The gold medal winners in 2004 and 2008 were not at their best despite lining up with recent Copa America winners Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Otamendi and Geronimo Rulli.
Argentina, named as one of the pre-tournament favourites, face Iran next up on Saturday before their final group game against Ukraine.
