Lionel Messi Reacts to Argentina’s Controversial Loss to Morocco in Olympic Opener

Although he isn’t part of Argentina’s Olympic football team this time, Lionel Messi is still closely following their matches. On Wednesday, the world champions began their bid for a third Olympic men’s football gold with a chaotic 1-2 defeat against Morocco.

Morocco took a 2-0 lead through Soufiane Rahimi before Giuliano Simeone scored for Argentina. In the 16th minute of stoppage time, Cristian Medina appeared to equalize, making it 2-2.

However, the match soon descended into chaos.

As the Argentine team celebrated the late equalizer, the crowd began throwing projectiles—plastic bottles, cups—onto the pitch. Some fans even invaded the field, forcing the match to be temporarily suspended as the referee blew the whistle.

The players left the field, and the match’s status remained unclear since the referee hadn’t blown the full-time whistle. Two hours later, the players returned to complete the remaining three minutes. In a stunning turn of events, Medina’s equalizer was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Morocco held Argentina at bay for the remaining time, securing a 2-1 victory and all three points.

Argentina coach Javier Mascherano and seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi were both furious about the match’s conclusion. Messi expressed his feelings on Instagram, writing “Insolito (Unbelievable),” reflecting his frustration. Mascherano described the match as “a circus,” criticizing the organization and officiating.