Santos Laguna were already down a goal to UANL Tigres at home in the 2011 Apertura Liguilla final, and their task just got a whole lot harder. Star defensive midfielder and former Mexican international Juan Pablo Rodriguez has been shown a straight red card for the Saints in the 24th minute, and it was a well deserved red.
While going for a ball around the waist-level of Manuel Viniegra of Tigres, Rodriguez missed horribly. Instead of getting the ball, his foot ended up in the general vicinity of Viniegra's groin. He then followed through with his kick, appearing to intentionally put his studs into the groin of Viniegra. The referee didn't hesitate to show a red and the protest was minimal, at least compared to the usual harassment of referees in Mexican football.
Santos are now not only down a man and down a goal, but without their best ball winner for the rest of this game and the second leg. They're going to need a miracle to get out of this match without going down further.
For more on the Liguilla final and Mexican football in general, check out SB Nation's Mexican futbol blog FMF State Of Mind.
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