The cauldron outside The Louvre Museum will not be lit until Friday, but there is already controversy at this summer’s Paris Games.
Trailing 2-1 in injury time against Morocco, Argentina appeared to equalize on an incredible sequence. Morocco goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui bobbled a shot by Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada in the 16th minute of stoppage time. The rebound bounced to a teammate whose shot trickled off El Kajoui and hit the crossbar. A follow-up led to a header that hit the bar a second time, before Cristian Medina headed in a goal for the time.
Before Almada weaved through the defense, one of his teammates appeared to tackle a Moroccan player just outside the box. The no-call incensed Moroccan fans in St. Etienne prompting hordes of ers to invade the pitch in protest.
A couple of fans hurled projectiles onto the pitch, including a firecracker that nearly hit several Argentine players. To protect the players out of an abundance of caution, officials called the game with three minutes left in stoppage time.
“Although the ending of this match was exciting, we continued with our normal processes,” said Aron Wattleworth, a trading leader at bet365. “When the goal was sent through as a possible, we suspended as we would normally for a possible goal.”
But hours later, a referee determined through VAR that an Argentina player was offsides on the play. The teams returned to the pitch two hours later to play the final three minutes. Neither team scored as Morocco prevailed 2-1, before an empty stadium.
Cautious Reaction 436y11
As fans stormed the pitch in protest, it appeared that Argentina forged a tie. Several news outlets called the match a draw, some bettors on social media believed that Argentina salvaged a point on Medina’s header. Some leading sportsbooks, however, avoided a rush to judgment.
Remarkably, officials ordered the teams back on the pitch several hours later. Back in Connecticut, former U.S. men’s national team goalie Tim Howard called the match for USA Network. Howard, the most-capped goalkeeper in U.S. history, called the match from the NBC Sports studio from Stamford. Howard was eating lunch at an outdoor table when a producer informed him of the restart.
When the teams returned to the pitch, the scene at Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium appeared eerily reminiscent to the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the restart, Argentina did not manage a shot on goal in Morocco’s win.
“Given the on-pitch events that took place after the so-called 2-2 equalizer, we remained suspended/unsettled through the whole time until an outcome was determined by the match officials,” Wattleworth told Sports Handle. “We then dealt with bets in accordance with our rules, 2-1 Morocco wins.”
Almost 2 hours later, the score is now 2-1 as Argentina's goal vs Morocco has been DISALLOWED 😱❌
Three minutes will be played, without fans in the ground, after crowd trouble. The longest VAR check in football history.
UNREAL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/66E0ADUZv5
— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) July 24, 2024
Crazy Sequence o2r
Traders at BetMGM expressed similar caution. Said John Ewing, PR manager, media insights at BetMGM: “The Argentina game was paused due to ‘interruption’ caused by fans.
The game was settled after it resumed and Morocco wagers were paid out as winners.” Beyond BetMGM, another top-3 U.S. sportsbook graded Morocco as a win on Wednesday.
Fanatics took a more customer-friendly approach with its grading. The match, according to data providers and various media reports, ended as a 2-all draw. Customers who bet on a draw and took the over on 3.5 total goals received payouts at Fanatics.
Soccer-Argentina coach Mascherano decries 'circus' after chaotic opening loss https://t.co/YZJwXfkEin pic.twitter.com/3ekj5aaROV
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 25, 2024
“Since it was a very unusual situation and some customers’ first experience of the games, Fanatics decided to honor the original settlement and pay out the new result. We felt it was the right way to start the games,” Fanatics Sportsbook spokesman Kevin Hennessy told Sports Handle.
At DraftKings, the Argentina-Morocco match ranked second on Wednesday in handle of all soccer matches on the slate. Only Spain-Uzbekistan ranked higher. The tournament is one of the premier, non-professional events in global soccer. Each Under-23 national team is allowed a maximum of three overaged players.
Howard, a former keeper with Manchester United, began his pro career with the North Jersey Imperials in 1997. Following Wednesday’s events, he described the match as the craziest he’s seen in 25+ years in the sport.
