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| Reuters Yonhap News Agency, Lionel Messi Instagram |
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"I can't accept it."
Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) expressed his anger unusually. Messi wrote on his personal SNS shortly after his juniors lost 1-2 in the first Group B match of men's soccer at the Paris Olympics between Argentina and Morocco at Stade Jofruagychard in Saint-Etienne, France on the 25th (Korea time). He also wore an emoji with an expression of bewilderment.
There was a reason. The Argentine Olympic team allowed Sufian Rahimi (Al Ain) to score consecutive goals just before the end of the first half and in the fourth minute of the second half, leading to a two-goal gap. Coach Javier Mascherano's team, which followed a goal in the 23rd minute of the second half with Giuliano Simeone (Atletico Madrid)'s chase goal, tied the score 2-2 with Christian Medina (Boca Juniors)' 'theater goal' in the 15th minute of the second half.
The problem arose here. After scoring Medina, some excited Moroccan spectators stormed the stadium. He threw dirt, including water bottles, at the Argentine bench. The game supervisor suspended the game for the sake of team safety. The spectators all left the stadium, and the players of both teams returned to the locker room. The players returned to the stadium after the first two-hour disruptions.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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The judges activated a VAR system for Medina's header scene. After VAR reading, the score was canceled through offside. Three minutes of extra time was given, but Argentina did not score an extra goal. Messi, who watched the game in real time, seems to have expressed his anger in this part. Director Mascherano also complained, saying, `The best circus of my life.'
Mascherano said "When we stayed in the locker room for about an hour and a half, the organizers didn't tell us anything. The Moroccan captain didn't want to play, and we didn't want to repeat the game either. Fans threw things at us."We should have continued to play apart from Medina's goal being offside. It's ridiculous to play for three minutes after an hour and a half"I resented.
Coach Mascherano confessed before the game that players' items were stolen from the training ground. The 'Olympic First Games' held ahead of the opening of the Paris Olympics was marred by theft, dumping of dirt, and crowd intrusion.
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| APYonhap News |
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Argentina, which is seeking its first Olympic championship in 16 years since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when Messi was active, got off to a shaky start, missing its first game as a result. Argentina, which ranked third in the group, will play a series of group matches against Iraq and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Japan scored five goals in the first Group D match against Paraguay, winning a 5-0 victory. Host France defeated the United States 3-0 in the first Group A match, and Iraq defeated Ukraine (Group B) 2-1. Spain and New Zealand also won the war.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
