Argentina and Morocco’s players returned to the pitch to finish their opening match of the men’s Olympic football tournament over an hour after the match was delayed, as the North Africans eventually earned a 2-1 win in remarkable circumstances.

Both sets of teams were forced to leave the field after Moroccan fans invaded the pitch after Argentina had scored a equalising goal in the 106th minute of the match.

Argentina had fought back from 2-0 down to appear to have snatched a point in the match.

Players were led down the tunnel for their own safety after flare, bottles and cups were thrown at Argentina’s celebrating players. Fans were instructed to leave the stadium, with messages on the big screen stating the match had been suspended.

The match was listed as being delayed with the score level at 2-2, with both Argentina and Morocco listing the match as a result on social media. 

The match had been delayed for over an hour after pitch invasions after Argentina’s equaliser

Players were granted a 20 minute warm-up before resuming the match in Saint-Etienne

Argentina had believed they had scored a stoppage time equaliser when the match was halted

Fans had been ordered to leave the stadium with the match classed as being suspended

The referee ruled out Argentina’s equalising goal for offside when the match had resumed

In remarkable scenes, players were then recalled to complete the closing stages of the match.

A VAR review on Argentina’s goal found that Medina had been offside, with Argentina’s equaliser subsequently ruled out.

Players were granted a 20 minute warm-up before a resumption at 7pm local time, four hours after the match had kicked off in Saint-Etienne.

The referee began the resumption of play by confirming Argentina’s equalising goal had been ruled out for offside.

Argentina were unable to find another equaliser in the three minutes that were played after the restart, with Morocco celebrating a 2-1 win. 

Argentina’s senior men’s captain Lionel Messi, who is not part of the squad at the Olympics, reacted to the match by labelling the situation as ‘extraordinary’ on social media. 

The pre-match build-up had surrounded the anger from Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez engaging in a racist singalong with the Argentinian national team.

The anger spilled into the Games in France, with missiles forcing their game with Morocco to be suspended.

Argentina were booed by fans at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in St-Etienne but the situation worsened when they equalised 16 minutes into stoppage time. 

Argentina’s senior men’s caption Lionel Messi reacted to the match on social media, labelling the situation as ‘unbelievable’ 

Argentina had complained to referee Glenn Nyberg with Morocco’s 2-1 advantage restored

The match resumed behind closed doors with Argentina forced to chase another equaliser

Morocco held on to secure a 2-1 win in a dramatic start to the Olympic football tournament

Riot police were pictured after Moroccan fans invaded the pitch after Argentina’s last goal

Pitch invaders had made their way onto the playing surface after Argentina’s last gasp goal

The pitch invasion led to a delay to the match with the referee eventually blowing for full time

A goal from Giuliano Simeone and a stoppage time effort from Cristian Medina saw Argentina fight back to appear to have levelled the match. 

Medina’s stoppage time goal was followed by a pitch invasion from some Moroccan fans, while firecrackers, flares and bottles were thrown as Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg told the players to leave the pitch. 

A message was displayed at the stadium, reading ‘your session has been suspended, please leave the stadium’.

Players were then recalled to complete the match behind closed doors with fans having left the venue.

Medina’s goal was disallowed upon the resumption, with Morocco leading through two Soufiane Rahimi efforts. 

There were more than four hours between the start of the match and the final whistle.

A Paris 2024 statement on the match read: ‘The football match between Argentina and Morocco at the Saint-Etienne Stadium was suspended due to a pitch invasion by a small number of spectators. 

‘The match then restarted and was able to conclude safely. Paris 2024 is working with the relevant stakeholders to understand the causes and identify appropriate actions.’

Objects were thrown from the stands after Argentina scored a late equaliser in Saint-Etienne

Cups were thrown at Argentina’s players as their team celebrated Cristian Medina’s goal

A message was displayed informing fans to make their way to the nearest exit

Giuliano Simeone was seen on his phone after the group stage match was suspended 

And just over an hour after kick-off in the football, Argentina’s rugby sevens side were loudly booed ahead of their clash against Kenya.

The boos drowning out the anthem came just over a week after Chelsea footballer Fernandez filmed himself and his Argentina team-mates singing a chant directed at France’s black players following their Copa America triumph.

The song, which also singles out Kylian Mbappe, was condemned by the French Football Federation who filed a complaint to FIFA.

Fernandez’s Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana also reposted the video and labelled the chant ‘uninhibited racism’ before unfollowing Fernandez on Instagram.

Two other Chelsea players – Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi – also unfollowed Fernandez.

The midfielder subsequently apologised for the video and insisted he is not racist, while Chelsea reacted by condemning ‘all forms of discriminatory behaviour’ prior to conducting their own investigation.

But fans inside the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium and the Stade de France had clearly not forgotten what has gone on in recent days, and made their feelings clear how they felt about the behaviour of the Argentina footballers last week.

Argentina had their national anthem booed amid a racism storm surrounding Enzo Fernandez

Fernandez filmed himself singing the chant on Argentina’s bus during their Copa America celebrations

Argentina’s rugby sevens stars were also booed while singing their national anthem in Paris

France’s former football captain Hugo Lloris described the controversial song as an ‘attack on French people’ this week and urged that it was a mistake that must been learned from.

‘It doesn’t matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘It demands even more responsibility when you are a winner.

‘You don’t want to hear or see this kind of thing in football. We all stand against discrimination and racism.

‘I just think and hope it is a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes and hopefully they will learn from it.’

Relations between France and Argentina worsened after the tense and enthralling 2022 World Cup final in Qatar, which saw Lionel Messi and Co narrowly win on penalties following a 3-3 draw.

Kylian Mbappe, who netted a hat-trick in the showpiece, was ruthlessly mocked as part of Argentina’s overjubilant celebrations.

Despite playing a key role in Argentina’s World Cup and Copa America triumphs, Fernandez is not playing at the Olympics and is currently enjoying time away from the pitch ahead of the new season with Chelsea.

He was paraded at his old club River Plate over the weekend, only for the whole crowd to start singing the chant aimed at France’s black players once more.

The chaotic scenes in France coincided with Chelsea’s new head coach Enzo Maresca using his first press conference in the United States to play down talk of Fernandez’s footage disrupting their pre-season preparations, claiming they will encounter no issues when he returns. 

Enzo Fernandez was paraded by his boyhood club River Plate on Sunday 

Footage shared on social media showed fans in the stadium signing the chant aimed at France’s black players

Speaking out in the US where Chelsea are currently on their pre-season tour, Maresca said: ‘The player did a statement, apologised, and the club did the same. I don’t think there is something to add, the situation is already clear.’

Asked if there will be problems bringing him back into the squad, Maresca added: ‘I don’t think so, to be honest. At the end, they are all human beings, I don’t think there are any bad intentions from any one of them.

‘When Enzo is back, I don’t think we will have any problems, the player already clarified the situation, and the club did the same. There is nothing to add.

‘He is not a bad human being. It can happen, I don’t think there are any problems at all. I spoke with Enzo, I spoke with a lot of them. The player has made a statement and apologised, it is clear.’

Reece James also broached the subject as the Chelsea captain said: ‘Enzo acknowledged he did wrong and apologised to the club and the team. I have spoken to Enzo and everyone involved but those conversations have to stay in house.’