PARIS: Argentina coach Javier Mascherano said he had never witnessed such a circus after a pitch invasion triggered a dramatic and long-delayed climax to the country’s 2-1 loss to Morocco in their Olympic opener in St Etienne.
Cristian Medina thought he had salvaged a 2-2 draw for Argentina when he scored deep into injury time but the goal was ruled out for offside by Video Assisted Referee (VAR) when play resumed for a few minutes after a two-hour stoppage to clear the stadium of fans.
Mascherano said there had been a lack of communication from organisers about what was going to happen as the team sat in the Geoffroy Guichard stadium dressing room before the resumption.
“I can’t explain what happened. We spent about an hour and a half in the dressing room where they never told us what was going to happen,” Mascherano told reporters.
“The Moroccan captains didn’t want to play, we didn’t want to continue, and fans threw things at us.
“It’s the biggest circus I’ve ever seen in my life, I don’t know why they spent an hour and 20 minutes reviewing a play.
“If there is offside in Medina’s goal let the game go on with the momentum we have, I don’t think the game should be played for three minutes after an hour and a half.”
However, the former Argentina defensive midfielder said he did not want to indulge in excessive complaining and had encouraged his team to focus on their upcoming Group B fixtures against Iraq and Ukraine.
“It’s no use complaining, we don’t like this kind of thing to happen but we have to turn the page, look for positive things and we will look for the two victories we need to qualify.”
The Argentinian football federation, however, have lodged a complaint with football ruling body FIFA after the turbulent start.
Crisis management: A steward catching a pitch invader during the Group B match between Argentina and Morocco at the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium. Below: Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg showing a yellow card to Argentina’s Ezequiel Fernandez for a foul. — AFP/ AP
The federation called on FIFA to take action over the “serious incident.”
Meanwhile, hosts France made a good start to their tournament in Marseille with two goals in eight minutes after the hour mark and a late header from Loic Bade gave them a comfortable 3-0 win over the United States.
Captain Alexandre Lacazette sent a big crowd wild with a superb long-range effort to open the scoring before a fine strike from Michael Olise doubled the lead for Thierry Henry’s side.
After the drama in St Etienne, organisers will have been relieved that Israel’s Group D opener against Mali at the Parc des Princes in Paris passed off without incident.
The 1-1 draw was played amid tight security because of heightened geopolitical tensions.
Diallo Hamidou’s own goal put Israel ahead 11 minutes after the break but Doumbia Cheickna equalised for the African side with a fine header in the 63rd minute.
Earlier at the same venue, Spain beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in the opening match of Group C despite struggling to hit their stride in the opening stages of the game. — Reuters
