Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez was given his marching orders just three minutes into his nation’s World Cup clash with Japan after handling a goal-bound shot. The ex-Aston Villa ace’s dismissal was officially the second fastest in the history of the World Cup (two minutes and 56 seconds);
Despite protests from the South Americans, Sanchez was given his marching orders by referee Damir Skomina, leaving his side to battle out the remaining 87 minutes a man light, with Kagawa’s success from the penalty spot making their job even tougher. While it wasn’t the start Jose Pekerman’s side would have had in mind, it wasn’t the fastest red card at the World Cup.
Uruguay got off to a torrid start in their group stage clash with Scotland in 1986, when defender Jose Batista was sent off after just 54 seconds for a wild tackle on Gordon Strachan. Scotland, though, failed to take advantage of the extra man, with Uruguay securing a 0-0 draw to take them through to the knockout stages. Carlos Sanchez would be happy with the fact that he wasn’t the fastest to receive his marching orders, but he will nonetheless be disappointed with his brain fade moment. His red card proved to be costly as Colombia lost 2-1.