World champions Argentina went down 2-1 to Morocco in their opening game at the Paris Olympics. The clash, a feisty one in Saint-Etienne, was marred by crowd trouble and eventually finished in an empty stadium, with the Atlas Lions prevailing over the Albiceleste.
All three of Argentina’s over 23 players in their squad- goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, defender Nicolas Otamendi and forward Julian Alvarez, started for the South American giants. Veteran centre-back Otamendi, who currently plies his trade for Benfica, wore the armband for Argentina, with PSG right-back Achraf Hakimi doing likewise for Morocco.
Morocco, semi-finalists at the last World Cup, had the better of the first half, enjoying more possession and were rewarded for it through Soufiane Rahimi’s opener just before the interval. A lovely pass from Ilias Akhomach- a no-look one flicked backwards, was central to the goal, with Rahimi converting from close range.
The Atlas Lions came out of the blocks quickly in the second half, and it was again Akhomach who caused Argentina problems. He was fouled in the box and Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg pointed to the spot. Rahimi stepped up and although Rulli guessed correctly, he was powerless to stop the penalty from going in.
The twin goals forced Argentina manager Javier Mascherano to turn to his bench, and the first substitute- Giulio Simeone (the son of Diego Simeone), pulled one back midway through the second half. Morocco had goalkeeper Munir Mohamedi to thank for some fine saves- particularly one from Alvarez, as they clung on to their lead.
Argentina thought they had equalised deep into stoppage time through Cristian Medina but play was stopped immediately afterwards due to crowd trouble. When it resumed after a significant delay, the Argentine equaliser was chalked off for offside, and Morocco hung on to claim three crucial points.
Where does this leave Argentina?
Despite this initial setback, a look at the soccer betting odds for the Olympics suggests that Argentina are still many people’s favourites for a medal, alongside Spain and France. Morocco’s stunning victory has significantly shortened the odds on them, but the Atlas Lions have never progressed past the first round in their previous Olympic appearances.
Like their 2022 World Cup campaign (which they won despite losing to Saudi Arabia in their opener), Argentina’s fate is very much in their own hands. If they beat Iraq and Ukraine (both games in Lyon), they will progress to the last eight.
Argentina have won the Olympics twice in recent history (the last one in 2008), and current gaffer Mascherano was part of the playing squad in both those triumphs.
How did Spain and France fare in the opening round?
Spain, silver medallists at Tokyo 2020, opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan. Marc Pubill opened the scoring for La Furia Roja, with Man City’s Sergio Gomez scoring the winner in the second half.
France, coached by the legendary Thierry Henry, comfortably beat the United States 3-0. Michael Olise, the exciting Crystal Palace youngster who recently sealed a switch to Bayern, was among the scorers for Les Bleus, as was former Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.