In the relegation thriller in the Spanish 2nd division between SD Huesca and Real Zaragoza, the sporting content took a back seat. Why? Zaragoza’s goalkeeper went berserk after receiving a yellow card and threw a punch.
After Esteban Andrada was shown a yellow card deep into stoppage time at his club Real Zaragoza’s visit to Huesca on Sunday evening, the goalkeeper on loan from CF Monterrey suddenly blew a fuse.
The whole thing was triggered by a scene in the 98th minute that was deemed verifiable by VAR. Andrada stopped the referee, who was running outside in the direction of the review area, and talked to him.
When he received his first caution, he knocked over his opponent Jorge Pulido and was shown another yellow card and the traffic light. Without further ado, the goalkeeper ran furiously towards Pulido, who had got up again in the meantime, and swept him frontally in the face with a right swing.
“Scenes that are not worthy of this sport”
A huge scuffle ensued, after which Huesca goalkeeper Dani Jimenez and Saragossa’s Dani Tasende were also shown straight red.
“We witnessed scenes that are not worthy of this sport and should never have happened,” said Zaragoza in an initial statement afterwards. The club condemned the behavior on the pitch “in the strongest terms, this has tarnished a soccer match that is particularly important for our region in an unacceptable way – something that is unacceptable”.
And further with direct reference to the goalkeeper who went berserk: “As far as our player Esteban Andrada is concerned, the club will investigate what happened and take appropriate disciplinary action.” Initially, the professional is likely to face a very lengthy punishment from the Spanish FA.
The Aragonese were also aware of their responsibility to the public: “We are role models for many boys and girls who want to emulate their idols.” Violence at a soccer match does not fit in with this. Captain Francho Serrano also took the floor and spoke about his keeper on TV: “As captain, I would like to apologize. Zaragoza should never stand for pictures like that.”
The game ended 1-0 for hosts Huesca, who took their tally to 36 points with five matchdays to go and are now fourth from bottom, just two points behind 18th-placed FC Cadiz. Meanwhile, Zaragoza, in 21st place, remained on 35 points but also still have a chance of staying up.
