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CROWD trouble forced the first football match of the Olympics to be suspended for nearly two hours amid chaotic and worrying scenes, with the game eventually completed in an empty stadium.
Morocco had been 2-0 ahead against Argentina, but Cristian Medina appeared to have equalised in the 16th of what had been 15 scheduled minutes of injury time at the end of the second half.
After the resulting crowd trouble, play finally resumed after a lengthy delay with no fans present, and with VAR having ruled out Argentina’s equaliser, Morocco secured a controversial 2-1 victory.
Here’s how the chaos and confusion unfolded…
· Immediately after Medina looked to have made it 2-2, a number of cups and bottles were then thrown at the celebrating Argentina side before what appeared to be a flare landed near the players and coaching staff.
· A number of fans in Morocco colours also ran on to the pitch, with some being escorted off the pitch by stewards.
· Riot police moved to the side of the pitch and the referee immediately took the players off the pitch.
· The fans inside the stadium in Saint Etienne were told to leave the ground and a message on a big screen in the stadium said: “Your session has been suspended please make your way to the nearest exit.”
· It was unclear whether the match had been classed as finished, but it was then revealed the final three minutes would be played in an empty stadium with no fans present.
· Before the match could be played to a finish, it was announced that Argentina’s potential equaliser had actually been ruled out by a video assistant referee decision that showed a player was offside before Medina scored. – BBC
Online Reporter