It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was the best of times for Vedad Ibisevic because he scored twice in Hertha Berlin's 2-1 win over Mainz, with the second marking his 100th Bundesliga goal.
It was the worst of times for Vedad Ibisevic because, less than 10 minutes after scoring his 100th Bundesliga goal, he got a second yellow and was sent off.
The record for the fastest red card ever in soccer is somewhat dubious: is it limited to professionals? What about amateur leagues? Does the player actually have to play a second before being sent off? These are the kinds of ridiculous variables you must factor into determining the fastest red card ever in soccer.
According to the Guardian, there have been a number of instances when substitutes have been sent off without having ever played a second in the match.
On a day when we've questioned everything and discussed some of the stranger red card offenses in the history of the game, this should come as no surprise. In Sunday's draw between Greece and Bosnia we witnessed one of the most ridiculous red cards of all-time. The culprit was Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko, who earned a second yellow by stripping Greece's Sokratis.
Antonio Ferreira received a straight red card for ‘shielding’ the ball from a defender, relying a little too heavily on his elbow to maintain possession. That was only the beginning of the violence from Ferreira, with the Mirassol Futebol Clube defender going absolutely mental after receiving his marching orders.
Friday's game between Hertha Berlin and Borussia Monchengladbach was filled with fouls, cards and injuries. Salomon Kalou led his team to victory by scoring three goals, continuing his fine form since leaving Chelsea.
Salomon Kalou bagged a hatrick tonight against Monchengladbach.
Still got it.. pic.twitter.com/xEubBYXofD— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) November 4, 2016
This incident took place in the UAE Gulf League, and the keeper in question is named Ali Saqr.
The thing that I don't understand here is the keeper got the ball out of bounds. He was in a bad situation and comported himself well. The opposing winger didn't score. The keeper should be happy. Instead, he is mad, very mad, and fighting like Homer Simpson.
Here's a snippet of dialogue from an episode of The Simpsons titled "Brother from the Same Planet":
Have you ever received a red card? It's a maddening, frustrating experience. You're angry at yourself. You're angry at the ref. You're (presumably) angry at the person you just did a red-card-worthy offense to. There's a lot of anger to go around.
Should you ever find yourself in the position of receiving a red card, just try to control yourself and don't react like this guy did. It's bad.
Have you ever received a red card? It's a maddening, frustrating experience. You're angry at yourself. You're angry at the ref. You're (presumably) angry at the person you just did a red-card-worthy offense to. There's a lot of anger to go around.
Should you ever find yourself in the position of receiving a red card, just try to control yourself and don't react like this guy did. It's bad.
Medi Dresevic, a defender who plays in the Swedish lower leagues, scored a hat trick earlier this week. After he scored the hat trick, he celebrated. After he celebrated, he got sent off.
Really! The ref deemed Dresevic's celebration excessive and gave him a second yellow.
Hat-trick scoring defender Medi Dresevic sent off after playful celebration https://t.co/lVc8lpKwtY pic.twitter.com/pngsQgAZ1b
We really don't know much about Gervinho's time in China thus far, but if this video is any indication, it's not gone well.
The former Arsenal and Roma player, who may or may not have once demanded a helicopter as part of a transfer deal, got a little, uh, overexuberant during a challenge and stomped the bejeezus out of an opponent.