Switzerland striker Breel Embolo burst into tears as he was shown a red card for diving after a new World Cup rule was used.
Embolo appeared to find himself on the receiving end of a poor challenge by Argentina‘s Leandro Paredes, who was booked by referee Joao Pinheiro.
2
Embolo was inconsolable after being sent off for Switzerland against ArgentinaCredit: Getty
However, VAR intervened following the incident, asking the match official to go to the monitor and watch the moment back.
And replays showed that Embolo had in fact dived when Paredes lunged in, throwing himself down before any contact.
The Argentina midfielder did eventually touch him, but not until the forward was already on his way down to the grass.
Therefore, the referee opted to change his decision in the quarter-final, using FIFA’s new mistaken identity rule.
READ MORE ON WORLD CUP
The rule, brought in for the World Cup, states that if a player is booked or sent off – but the foul was actually committed by the opposition team – the decision can be switched.
In this case, Embolo’s dive was the foul and Paredes was wrongly booked, so the yellow card switched recipients.
Embolo’s early bath
Embolo was already on a yellow card following a foul earlier in the game, so with two bookings, he was sent off.
And after the decision, he was left furious, appealing with the officials alongside his angry teammates.
But that anger changed to tears in a matter of seconds, as the 29-year-old was forced to leave the pitch.
He could be seen being consoled by the Swiss squad, covering his face and crying as he walked down the tunnel.
2
Embolo was inconsolable as he trudged off the pitch in Kansas CityCredit: AFPNext up, England
To make things worse for Embolo, Switzerland went on to lose to Argentina, who will now face England in the semi-finals of the World Cup, following the Three Lions’ win over Norway.
Lionel Messi and co. couldn’t beat the Swiss in 90 minutes, being taken to extra time in Kansas City.
Alexis Mac Allister‘s opening goal in the first half was cancelled out by an equaliser from Dan Ndoye in the second half.
The reigning world champions then pressed for a late goal, but they couldn’t find a winner against 10 men.
And that meant the quarter-final went to extra time, just as England’s clash with Norway did earlier in the night.
That game saw Jude Bellingham step up in the added half an hour, with Messi then aiming to emulate him.
The icon didn’t score, but Julian Alvarez netted a stunner instead to help send Argentina through, with Lautaro Martinez completing the victory with a late third goal in the 121st minute.
World Cup WhatsApp
Don’t miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.
Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.
It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings.
Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.