Match Extra Time Spectacle and Argentina's Comeback
It is mind-boggling how much extra time a game can take. In the same match between Uzbekistan and Spain, there was only eight minutes of injury time, while Argentina's extra time was more than double that.
Such a long extra time was certainly a make-or-break opportunity for the underdogs! Sure enough, Argentina lived up to its name, and with 324 seconds to go in the 105th minute, scored a spectacular goal (see below) to draw the game with Morocco.
The goal was textbook brilliance. First, a shot from outside the area was parried by the keeper, followed by a swift follow-up shot that bounced off the keeper before hitting the post and bouncing back into the field. The Argentinian player leapt for the ball, which hit the crossbar before bouncing back again. In the end, Medina was favored by the heavens in front of the goal, as if the ball was summoned by him, it fell gently over his head, and all he had to do was to leap and put the ball into the net.
The replay of the goal was still going on after Argentina's equalizer when the referee suddenly blew the whistle for the end of the match. As the game came to an end, the stadium was instantly thrown into chaos as players quickly rushed to the locker room.
It is worth mentioning that the final length of the injury timeout was actually more than 15 minutes, close to 16 minutes. Despite repeated attempts by Morocco to deliberately stall for time, they were still unable to stop Argentina's comeback.
The Argentinean National Olympic team is a different kind of team than the national team, a slow starter, and it wasn't until they were two goals down that they really showed their fighting spirit and strength.
