Like many football fans, Lionel Messi watched, on Wednesday, the opening match of the men’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics between Argentina and Morocco (1-2). The encounter left the Albiceleste captain speechless.
This match is sure to be talked about for a long time. The U23 selections of Argentina and Morocco faced off on Wednesday afternoon to kick off the men’s soccer tournament. The Atlas Lions eventually triumphed (2-1) after an unprecedented game that was suspended for nearly two hours.
Fans were asked to leave the stadium, with a message appearing on the big screen reading: “Your session has been suspended. Please make your way to the nearest exit”.
The drama began when Medina equalized for Argentina in stoppage time (90+16), bringing the score to 2-2. This goal sparked tensions in the stands, with a firecracker landing near the Argentine bench, thankfully causing no damage. The referee promptly sent the 22 players back to the locker room, which many interpreted as the end of the match.
However, a few minutes later, it was announced that the game had only been suspended to verify if the last Argentine goal was valid or if it was offside. The wait lasted two hours before the VAR officials delivered their verdict.
They annulled Medina’s goal, ruling that Otamendi was offside. After this unprecedented pause, the players returned to the field to play three minutes of stoppage time. This extension did not affect the final score, which remained 2-1 in favor of Morocco.
The utterly bizarre scenario left Lionel Messi at a loss for words. On social media, the Inter Miami forward posted “Insólito” which means “Unbelievable,” accompanied by an emoji expressing his astonishment.
