Rafael Tolói receives one of the most embarrassing red cards
Source: http://richportaltv.com
Once an ejection became unavoidable, people frequently liked to say that a coach or player got their money’s worth. Rafael Tolói, the captain of Atalanta, received another reward.
In Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League encounter between Atalanta and Club Brugge, things reached a breaking point in the 87th minute. Brugge was in the midst of pulling off a huge upset in the opening round of the tournament’s knockout stage, defeating the Italian club 5-2 on aggregate.
As the minutes ticked down on Atalanta’s UCL bid, Tolói received some hard contact from Brugge’s Maxim De Cuyper out of bounds. Tolói then completely humiliated himself.
His initial instinct was to grab the ball and use it to strike De Cuyper in the head. But like a cartoon, the ball slipped from Tolói’s grasp. Tolói was also knocked off balance by the throw, landing on his face.
When De Cuyper turned around and started to jog away, Tolói charged him and pushed him to the ground after pushing past a referee. One can assume that he was given a red card.
Minutes later, the game was over. The Belgian Pro League winners from the previous season, Brugge, will go on to play either Lille or Aston Villa in the Round of 16, with either Liverpool or Barcelona waiting in the quarterfinal.