Messi shocked by controversial Argentina Olympics loss
Football star Lionel Messi expressed surprise after Argentina’s disputed defeat against Morocco in their opening match of the Paris Olympics yesterday. Though not part of the Argentina squad for the Games, Messi took to social media following the controversial clash.
The Argentine team consisting of Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez was competing hard against Morocco but ended up losing 1-2 in a game that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Soufiane Rahimi scored both goals for Morocco, with Giovanni Simeone pulling one back late for Argentina.
As the match entered added time with the score still level, it seemed Cristian Medina had found an equaliser for Argentina. But the goal and subsequent celebrations kicked off a series of disturbances, with fans invading the pitch amid objects being thrown towards the Argentina players. This forced officials to suspend the highly competitive match.
After order was restored and the teams had departed, it emerged the game had been stopped but not completed by the referees. The final moments were later replayed behind closed doors.
Messi, who recently captained Argentina to Copa America glory though missing the Olympics through injury, took to Instagram after the unusual Paris incident. He posted the single Spanish word “Insolito”, meaning unusual or uncommon, reflecting his reaction to the controversial scenes.
Argentina coach Javier Mascherano slammed the whole affair as “the biggest circus” he had witnessed. With influential stars like Messi absent, Albiceleste will hope for a smoother ride when their Olympics campaign resumes.
