Lionel Messi snaps after Argentina VAR chaos at Olympics with furious social media post
Lionel Messi fumed on social media after watching Argentina lose their opening match at the 2024 Olympics in the most chaotic of circumstances. Morocco ran out 2-1 winners in Paris, but only after VAR disallowed Argentina's 105th-minute equaliser almost two hours after it had been scored.
Wednesday marked a turbulent start to this summer Games and raised questions about whether organisers were ready to run a safe event over the coming weeks.
Argentina and Morocco kicked off the first day of the men's football at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, but a late pitch invasion marred the occasion.
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Javier Mascherano's side - featuring Copa America winners Geronimo Rulli, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez - were stunned by the Atlas Lions.
Giuliano Simeone pulled one back for Argentina in the 68th minute and later hit the woodwork twice as Morocco scrapped to maintain their slender lead.
But 15 minutes into stoppage time, Cristian Medina thought he had netted a dramatic equaliser after a goalmouth scramble.
The last-gasp goal sparked wild scenes in an already feisty encounter, with objects thrown at the Argentina players, who were also the subject of boos.
Cristian Medina thought he had equalised. (Image: Getty) Watch the 2024 Olympic Games with Discovery+ £6.99 £3.99 View DealDiscovery+ is the new home of the Olympics. The streamer is set to broadcast 3,800 hours of sport live from Paris.
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A scary pitch invasion broke out after the leveller, which prompted Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg to direct both sets of players down the tunnel to safety.
It was eventually announced that play would resume behind closed doors 92 minutes later, with just three minutes left on the clock.
And after both teams re-emerged onto the pitch, Nyberg indicated that Medina's goal had been ruled out after VAR spotted an offside infringement in the build-up.
The incredible turn of events left the 2004 and 2008 gold medal winners in disbelief, and Morocco held on to their 2-1 lead to sit top of Group B.
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Related articles 'I trained like an Olympic athlete in a 41C heat chamber at Silverstone’ Charlotte Dujardin 'may be stripped of CBE' and will miss out on becoming a Dame Jannik Sinner pulls out of 2024 Olympics on doctor's orders as Italian gutted Lionel Messi reacted to the drama. (Image: INSTAGRAM)Messi, Argentina's greatest ever player, was among those to air his anger on social media, posting a black image on his Instagram story captioned: "Insolito."
The one-word verdict, partnered with an embarrassed emoji, translates to 'unbelievable', which tells you all you need to know about how he was feeling.
Argentina next face Iraq on Saturday before finishing their group stage campaign against Ukraine next Tuesday.
Elsewhere, New Zealand and Spain started their Olympics with victories over Guinea and Uzbekistan, respectively. In Group C, alongside Spain, Egypt and the Dominican Republic played out a draw.
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Lionel Messi snaps after Argentina VAR chaos at Olympics with furious social media post
Lionel Messi snaps after Argentina VAR chaos at Olympics with furious social media post
Lionel Messi snaps after Argentina VAR chaos at Olympics with furious social media post
Lionel Messi snaps after Argentina VAR chaos at Olympics with furious social media post
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