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Vasco Da Gama Defender Leandro Castan Sent Off For Booting Keeper In The Face

Vasco Da Gama Defender Leandro Castan Sent Off For Booting Keeper In The Face

Douglas Friedrich had to be substituted off in Bahia's game with Vasco after getting a nasty boot to the face late in the game.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Vasco Da Gama centre back Leandro Castan picked up a red card on Sunday night after booting Bahia goalkeeper Douglas Friedrich in the face.

It might have been a night for spears rather than super kicks at WWE's Royal Rumble on Sunday night but in Brazil the football had a touch of the Shawn Michaels about it.

Vasco played against Bahia in the the Brazil's Serie A in a hard fought 0-0 draw, short of too many clear cut chances.

The hosts thought they'd taken the lead with just 10 minutes to go when Freidrich looked to have messed up from a free kick and punched the ball straight to substitute Ygor Catatau, who put the ball in the back of the net.

However the referee was forced to overturn the decision when VAR spotted the boot to the face by Castan, that certainly left its mark on the keeper.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper couldn't continue in the match and was replaced by Anderson for the remaining 10 minutes of the match.

Bahia club doctor, Daniel Araujo, spoke after the match, saying, "He had a deep, blunt cut. At first, he has no suspicion of a fracture, a more serious injury. We left the athlete under observation and he is well, he has no neurological symptoms.

"I already gave the stitches, there were five stitches, you shouldn't worry for the next games."

Castan took to social media after the game to apologise for the incident, saying, "I already spoke to him in the locker room but I wanted to publicly apologise to Douglas for the move and make it clear that I had no intention of hurting a professional colleague."

Whilst the focus in Brazilian football was on the Copa Libertadores final on the weekend, where Palmeiras beat rivals Santos, Serie B had the emotional story of the weekend.

Chapecoense won the second tier title with captain Alan Ruschel, who was a survivor of the club's tragic plane crash four year's ago, lifting the trophy.

The team were relegated in 2019 and needed a late penalty to secure the title but will return to the top tier for next season, what a story!

Featured Image Credit: Diario El Ciudadano/Instagram

Topics: Football News, Brazilian football, Serie A, South American football, Brazil