Brazilian team Cruzeiro’s striker Rafa Silva was sent off for hitting a rival player with his elbow just three seconds into his team’s 3-0 loss to Athletico Paranaense.
Match referee Rodrigo Jose Pereira de Lima had Cruzeir, 32, go off the pitch in one of the earliest red cards in football history. Athletico is battling for relegation in Brazilian top-tier.
Cruzeiro is seeking one of the top positions to secure a direct berth in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.
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The team from Belo Horizonte rested some of its players for the match in the city of Curitiba ahead of the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana at Argentina’s Lanus next week. The first leg ended 1-1.
