Fabián Balbuena was sent off for Paraguay as they lost to Brazil in exasperating circumstances on early Friday morning, having held them to a 0-0 draw for 120 minutes before losing on penalties.
This was only Balbuena’s second match out of four in this Copa América campaign, as he was confined to the bench for his side’s draw against Argentina and loss to Colombia.
The West Ham man was given his marching orders in the 58th minute, for bringing down Roberto Firmino who was through on goal – after a VAR check confirmed it was a free kick on the edge of the box, rather than a penalty.
Balbuena was also dribbled past once and didn’t make a tackle, but made three clearances and two interceptions, according to WhoScored, and was given a rating of just 5.62.
However, Paraguay managed to keep Brazil at bay during the remaining 32 minutes of normal time and then another half an hour in extra time.
Though they exited the competition in the cruelest of ways, as Gustavo Gomez and Derlis Gonzalez failed to convert from the spot, giving Gabriel Jesus the opportunity to win the game with his penalty, which the Manchester City man coolly took.
This result means Paraguay didn’t manage to win a game all tournament and go out in the quarter-finals – with Balbuena returning to West Ham soon.
