Chaos as Morocco stuns Argentina

MANILA, Philippines — The sporting program at the Paris Olympics endured a chaotic start on Wednesday as men’s football kicked off while a huge police operation was put in place for Israel’s first appearance at the Games.

Two days before the opening ceremony, Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in Saint-Etienne, but only after a late equalizer for the South American side was disallowed and the final minutes were played out in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.

Argentina thought they had escaped with a 2-2 draw when Cristian Medina scored in the 16th minute of added time.

But as their players celebrated, projectiles including bottles and plastic cups rained down from the stands and several spectators entered the pitch, with the referee promptly blowing the whistle.

Israel’s footballers later took on Mali under the watchful eye of 1,000 police officers, with authorities erecting an “anti-terrorist perimeter” and braced for possible disruption around the stadium.

Meanwhile, an assistant coach and an analyst with the Canadian women’s football team were sent home from the Olympics Wednesday for their part in a spying scandal flying a drone over a New Zealand training session.