Luis Díaz was sent off for a horror tackle on Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi in first-half stoppage time after scoring twice to put Bayern Munich 2-0 up against the Champions League titleholders in Paris.
It is the first time in Champions League history that a player has scored two goals and been shown a red card in the same half of a game.
– Dembélé substituted early after goal ruled out
Díaz, a £65.5 million ($85.3m) summer signing from Liverpool, had enjoyed a sensational first half at Parc des Princes, scoring both Bayern goals in what had looked to be a man-of-the-match performance.
But the Colombia international then ruined his night — and forced Hakimi out of the game — with a reckless challenge on the Morocco defender that initially resulted in a yellow card from Italian referee Maurizio Mariani.
The challenge was reviewed by the VAR officials, however, and, after a lengthy delay, Mariani was sent to the pitchside monitor before he made the decision to rescind the yellow card and issue a red to Díaz instead.
The loss of Hakimi to injury compounded a bad first half for PSG, who also saw Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé limp off after 25 minutes.
Dembélé has missed a large part of this season with a hamstring injury, and he complained about soreness in the same area after Saturday’s 1-0 win against Nice.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos chapter, has expressed deep sorrow over…
As part of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu's administration's commitment to fostering youth engagement and…
The 15th edition of KidSport Charity Cup ended at the weekend amid pomp…
Harry Kane’s fairy-tale journey in Germany keeps getting better. The Bayern Munich striker capped off…
Liverpool’s hard-fought 2-1 victory over Tottenham on Saturday came at a worrying cost, as the…
As hosts Morocco kicked off their Africa Cup of Nations 2025 campaign in style, reigning…