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The Olympics has not even officially begun yet but its most dramatic moment might already have taken place. Over an hour after many thought that Cristian Medina had earned an equaliser for Argentina with the last shot of a dramatic game, their group stage game against Morocco resumed behind closed doors, a VAR check ruling out the equaliser. Having survived three of the most bizarre minutes of football the Olympic Games have ever seen, Morocco emerged victorious to take top spot just after the later game in Group B had begun. 

Cristian Medina thought he had turned a two goal deficit into a crucial draw for one of the pre-tournament favorites, prompting jubilant scenes on the Argentine bench that were greeted in hostile fashion by the Saint-Etienne crowd, missiles flung in the direction of the pitch. That prompted referee Glenn Nyberg to take the players off the pitch before the game had finished, though that news was not immediately apparent to Olympics organisers.

For more than half an hour the competition website said the game had been "interrupted" before subsequently concluding that the match had in fact finished. An hour after Medina's goal that wasn't, both sides were back on the the field at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard, supporters having long since departed as they began a 20 minute warm up to be followed by three minutes of further action.

Instead, it was African youth champions Morocco who started much the brighter, Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi a particular bright spark in a controlled start to proceedings. Roared on by a crowd where even those with no rooting interest had taken against Argentina -- perhaps in light of the controversy sparked by a racist chant from the senior squad after they won the Copa America earlier this month -- Morocco probed and interchanged impressively, a flowing team move setting up Soufiane Rahimi to fire them into the lead at close range as half time loomed.

The drama had only just begun. Though Argentina saw much of the ball in the second half they seemed short on ideas for what to do with it, crashing against an organised opposition defense. Had theirs been set up as effectively then Ilias Akhomach would not have been able to glide past veteran Nicolas Otamendi and into the box. Julio Soler might have felt that the hand he placed on the Villarreal forward's back was not enough to send him down, but it invited danger. Akhomach hit the floor and Nyberg concluded it was a penalty, duly converted by Rahimi.

Soler at least made amends by teeing up substitute Giuliano Simeone soon after, ensuring that Argentina had only one goal to make up going into what appeared to be the final third of the game. However this match in which 33 fouls were committed ran and ran into 15 minutes of added time that were a veritable siege on the Moroccan goal.

It looked as though Tarik Sektioui's side might have weathered the storm when a flicked header from Julian Alvarez found neither a teammate nor the target late on. However a fine tackle just inside the Moroccan third afforded one last chance for Thiago Almada, formerly of Atlanta United, to create some chaos. Slaloming past two defenders his first shot was blocked, his second spilled by Munir El Kajoui. Otamendi was convinced he had scored off the rebound only to see El Kajoui tip the ball onto the bar. An instant later it was struck again, Bruno Amione's flick bouncing back onto the head of Medina, who appeared to have earned a precious point for the two time gold medalists. 

However a flurry of missiles, seemingly cups and flares from the stands, appeared to quell Argentine celebrations and prompted the players to abandon the pitch. The 15 minutes of added time were only the start of it then. Not until around 7 p.m. local time was the game even approaching its conclusion, one that felt rather like a training ground drill where 11 red shirts bid to hold firm against Argentina. They did so in impressive fashion, earning a victory that will set them fair in pursuit of a medal.