Lionel Messi reacts to Olympic opening match disaster

Lionel Messi reacts to Olympic opening match disaster

The Argentine nation and football legend Lionel Messi were astonished after a peculiar series of circumstances denied the Under-23 squad a last-minute equaliser in their opening Olympic Games match against Morocco. Despite entering the tournament as a favorite, Argentina Under-23 lost 2-1 to Morocco in their first match in France on Wednesday.

Messi, 37, posted “Insólito”—”unbelievable” in English—on his Instagram story after the loss, AS said. The game’s mayhem shocked the former Barcelona player for good cause. Giuliano Simeone’s second-half goal put Javier Mascherano’s side back in contention after two Moroccan goals.

After the second half, officials called 15 minutes of stoppage time. Argentina equalized when Cristian Medina scored at home in stoppage time. A large Moroccan group in Saint-Etienne poured onto the field in protest, sending both teams back to the locker rooms. Chaos ensued while the VAR deliberated whether to award Medina’s goal.

After a thorough investigation, Medina was found offside, disqualifying the goal. Strangely, the game restarted with empty stands 92 minutes after the players went to their locker rooms. After three more minutes without incident, the referee terminated this marathon contest.