Fans watching Palmeiras and Cerro Porteno’s Copa Libertadores clash were let down when a linebacker tackled a player on the ground in a bizarre manner.
The two teams faced off in the competition’s Round of 16 first leg at General Pablo Rojas Stadium in Paraguay on Wednesday.
3
3
3
And it was just after eight minutes when the score was goalless that a hilarious mistake took place that made the rounds on social media.
Palmeiras star Gustavo Scarpa took a corner kick from the left.
The officer stepped aside to give Scarpa enough space to deliver the set piece.
However, the ref was then shocked to make a tiny step to the right of him, blocking the forward’s ability to kick the ball.
The Brazilian then accidentally tapped the back of the linebacker’s foot and fell to the ground in a hilarious way.
The 28-year-old apparently had some pain after the referee’s strange reaction when he lay on the grass, but fortunately managed to shake it off and move on.
However, that tiny slap did not put Palmeiras in the way, as they comfortably won 3-0 and turned the return match in Brazil into a formality.
Rony opened the scoring in the hour mark and finished a game just nine minutes later.
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OF OFFERS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Murilo Cerqueira sealed the victory for the Copa Libertadores holders just three minutes before full-time.
Scarpa is currently a top target of Olympiacos and could be on the move soon as his contract expires in December and he is not keen on extending.
The attacking midfielder is also linked with Nottingham Forest, which is also owned by Olympiacos’ supreme governor Evangelos Marinakis, but SunSport understands there is actually no interest.