Argentina’s Equalizer Denied by VAR After Nearly 2-Hour Delay Against Morocco at Paris Olympics.
In a dramatic turn of events, the equalizing goal by U23 Argentina in the 90+16th minute against U23 Morocco at the Paris Olympics was disallowed by VAR after nearly two hours of match suspension.
As the clock struck the 90+16th minute, with Morocco leading 2-1, Argentina seized possession in their opponent’s half. Thiago Almada skillfully dribbled the ball and launched a powerful shot from the edge of the box, forcing Morocco’s goalkeeper, Munir El Kajoui, to parry the ball away.
The play didn’t end there. The ball rebounded, and center-back Nicolas Otamendi struck it within the penalty area, hitting El Kajoui and the crossbar. The ball bounced back again, and Bruno Amione’s header also struck the crossbar. Finally, Cristian Medina was in the right place at the right time to head the ball into Morocco’s goal, seemingly equalizing the score at 2-2 for Argentina.
Moroccan fans were furious as Argentina scored after the injury time had already expired. In protest, flares were thrown at the Argentine players, and bottles and cups were hurled onto the pitch as Moroccan supporters stormed the field.
In response to the chaotic scene, referee Glenn Nyberg instructed both teams to leave the field. A message appeared on the stadium’s big screen: “The match has been suspended, please move to the nearest exit.”
While many believed the match had ended, the Olympic website displayed the match status as “interrupted.” During this time, VAR officials reviewed the validity of Argentina’s goal.
After nearly two hours, VAR announced that the goal was disallowed due to Amione being offside. Contrary to some reports suggesting VAR took at least 90 minutes to make the decision, the offside goal was actually identified immediately thanks to FIFA’s semi-automated offside technology.
Given the controversy surrounding Medina’s “goal,” an immediate announcement could have exacerbated the chaos on the field. Thus, the organizers chose to wait until the pitch was cleared before confirming that the goal was invalidated by VAR.
In summary, Argentina lost 2-1 to Morocco in their Olympic opener after a nearly two-hour delay and a dramatic VAR decision that denied their late equalizer.
Stay tuned for more updates on this thrilling Olympic football action.
This article aims to provide a detailed account of the VAR incident that led to Argentina’s goal being disallowed, focusing on key moments and reactions, and maintaining SEO standards.
