By Victor Kanayo
Chaos greeted the 2024 Olympics in the football event when Morocco clashed with Argentina.
Though the match ended 2-1 in favour of the Moroccans, there were shambolic scenes that made a mockery of the opening event.
Subsequently, Argentina thought they had scored a dramatic late equaliser in Saint-Etienne after Cristian Medina headed in a rebound off the crossbar in the 106th minute.
There was confusion amid the scenes afterwards, as supporters ran onto the pitch and the Argentina players made for cover in the tunnel, with firecrackers being thrown in their direction.
Pitch invaders had twice halted play, much to the frustration of Argentina as they chased the game, and tensions boiled over after Medina’s goal.
Turn Of Event
Viewers watching on Eurosport were under the impression that the match had finished with the score at 2-2, but that wasn’t the case as the encounter was restarted about two hours later.
Then, VAR ruled Argentina’s goal out with few minutes that ended the game.
Argentina won the men’s Olympic football tournament in 2004 and 2008 and ex-Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano, who was a part of the winning squad for the second of those successes, is managing the team in 2024.
They will now need to get positive results against Iraq on Saturday and Ukraine on Tuesday to have a chance of finishing in the top two in the group and advancing to the quarter-finals.
In the other opening match, Uzbekistan shocked Spain 2-1.
Women Version
On Thursday, Nigeria’s women team, mostly known as Super Falcons will face Brazil in group C of the soccer competition
The Falcons are returning to the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament the way they left – against Brazil.
Their last game at the tournament was against Brazil, when they lost 1-3 to the Canarinhas in front of 51,112 spectators at the impressive Workers’ Stadium in Beijing, China.
Perpetua Nkwocha’s penalty kick that put Nigeria in front was annulled by a Cristiane hat-trick that sent Brazil to the last eight.
In Search Fresh Glory
However, women’s football aficionados worldwide consider that Thursday’s encounter at the 42,000 -capacity Stade Matmut Atlantique in southern France will be much more competitive and entertaining.
Only reserve goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi remains part of the Falcons’ squad from that 2008 experience in China, but goalkeeper Ann Chiejine, assistant coach with the team in France, was part of a memorable encounter with the Brazilians at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in the USA in 1999.
Nigeria roared back from 0-3 down at half time to tie the encounter 3-3, but lost via the ‘golden goal’ at the Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Maryland.
