Yesterday’s match between Colombia and Japan brought a shock World Cup 2018 result but the fact that Colombia went down to 10 men after a Carlos Sanchez red card made things very hard for his team. The Colombia red card came after just three minutes, ensuring it made the record books for being the second fastest red card in World Cup history.
The Sanchez red card came very early on in the game but incredibly, back in the 1986 World Cup, Jose Alberto Batista managed to get sent off after only 54 seconds!
Why did Colombia get a red card?
The Colombian red card came in unusual fashion as the Colombian intentionally hand-balled in the penalty area. If you watch the replay you will see Carlos Sanchez Moreno raise his arm to prevent Japan from scoring. The referee showed him a straight red card for this.
Goal Japan!!
Carlos Sanchez of Colombia gets hit with a red card and Japan (+392) nets a penalty kick:
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 19, 2018
So what are the red card rules?
If a player deliberately hand-balls in the penalty area, the referee will send the player off. There are debates that if a penalty is given then that should be punishment enough but the rules say it is a red card offence. Sanchez will now miss the next game in the World Cup but due to his refusal to leave the pitch and how he conducted himself, he may be given an additional ban on top.
Japan win 2-1 in shock result
Japan went on to score the penalty before Colombia were able to pull a goal back in 39th minute through a Quintero free-kick. Playing with ten men for nearly 90 minutes was a huge task and it was no big surprise when Japan scored a second goal after 73 minutes, leaving Colombia with a difficult situation, with the next two games being against Poland and Senegal. The Sanchez Colombia red card means that they will be playing at least one of those games without the player they call La Roca (The Rock).
