Morocco beats Argentina 2-1 in Olympic opening match
In the opening match of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Morocco defeated Argentina 2-1 in an exciting display, signalling their intention to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria and Cameroon as African Olympic football gold winners.
The match ended dramatically for the Atlas Lions, as Argentina looked to have salvaged a draw, deep into stoppage time, only for the goal to be reversed and Morocco to win all three points thanks to a contentious offside call.
Up until Morocco broke the deadlock in the last minutes, the first half was mainly uneventful. Soufiane Rahimi converted Oussama El Azzouzi’s cross after Ilias Akhomach’s deft backheel set him up. Argentina seemed to have equalised late in the game, and then things sideways.
After Akhomach was fouled in the box, Rahimi scored the penalty kick to give Morocco a two goal lead early in the second half. Even with a wild comeback and fifteen minutes of stoppage time, Argentina could not produce an equaliser, even if Giuliano Simeone gave them a one-point lead.
After a protracted VAR review, the goal was eventually disallowed for offside after being initially permitted, setting off wild celebrations.
Argentine players and supporters were incensed by the decision, and there was a long wait until the game was played again behind closed doors.
With their goal of maintaining their strong form and challenging for the gold medal, the North Africans will have an interesting tournament going forward thanks to Morocco’s triumph.
Morocco’s win against Argentina was Atlas Lions’ first step to join previous African Olympic football gold wins, if they maintain their form. In the 1996 Olympic football final, Nigeria defeated Argentina 3-2 to become the first African country to win the gold medal. Cameroon also overcame Spain 5-3 on penalties in 2000, following suit after a 2-2 draw.
Written by Precious Adams
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