KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Switzerland forward Breel Embolo was sent off in the second half of a World Cup quarterfinal match with Argentina on Saturday night after a video review found he was guilty of simulation.
Leandro Paredes initially was shown the yellow card for a tackle, but video showed that Embolo was falling before the Argentina midfielder made contact with him. And because Embolo received a yellow card earlier in the match, he was given a red card, leaving the Swiss to play the remainder of a game tied 1-1 with only 10 players.
Embolo was in tears after being ordered to leave the field and was consoled by teammates on the sideline.
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It was a massive momentum swing after Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye had tied the game moments earlier.
It’s the second time a yellow card has been overturned using the “mistaken identity” protocol at the World Cup. The rule allows the video assistant referee to intervene when an incorrect player is shown a yellow or red card.
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Embolo is the fourth player in the last 60 years of the World Cup to receive a second yellow card for simulation, joining Mexico’s Luis Pérez (2006 vs. Portugal), Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan (2006 vs. Brazil), and Italy’s Francesco Totti (2002 vs. South Korea).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
