Amidst the heated controversy, expressing an opinion on this game seems like a no-win situation. Nevertheless, here's my take... as stated by Nico Cantor.

 

With the tense controversy, I can’t win with any opinion expressed for this game. But here goes nothing… Said by Nico Cantor

Morocco did what they needed to do to win. They scored with their first shot on target. A bit of dark arts, flashy moments of skill and great goalkeeping. I’d be celebrating it if it was my team pulling off the upset in whatever fashion they needed.

Argentina – with such high expectations – underperformed. Collectively they were weak and in certain moments committed forgetful errors that were a detriment to their success. And in the desperation of the final push, they almost pulled it off. Complaining about the time wasting is neutralized by the extraordinarily generous 15 minutes of added time. There’s talent on this team and it’s on Mascherano to steer the ship in the right direction.

We can dwell on tight calls all day: A soft penalty for Morocco (stemming from Argentina error). A possible hand ball in the last goal (looked like it was tight to the body). VAR has made everyone’s emotions more heightened, looking for ANYTHING to piggy back on. Anything against them or in their favor can be used to strengthen their conspiring narrative. Football is MORE polemic than ever WITH VAR.

Then there’s the whole controversy at the end: the fans jumping onto the field; firecrackers exploding near the players; referees and Olympic organization unable to decide the course of action. Well over an hour after, we get a resolution without any fans. An absurd scene.

Our sport often falls into chaos when some folks decide to break all civil conduct and decorum to make it about themselves. The lack of clarity on all fronts afterwards makes it all much worse. It’s an embarrassment for all of us.

That’s where we are. Onto the next game, and I’ll go back to my vacation. Sorry if my opinion didn’t satisfy you. This is football.