Leonardo Balerdi receives two yellow cards in five minutes, a (sad) record in Ligue 1

FOOTBALL – A quick tour and then off we go again. Olympique de Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi was sent off from the match against Lyon this Sunday, September 22 after receiving two yellow cards in just… five minutes of play. A record in Ligue 1.

The Argentinian international received his first card in the 20th second of the match against OL, after a tackle on Corentin Tolisso’s right ankle. Lying on the ground, the latter had difficulty getting up and the medical team had to intervene as you can see in the images below.

Barely 5 minutes later, Leonardo Balerdi pulled down Lyon captain Alexandre Lacazette. Referee Benoît Bastien again brandished a yellow card, which meant the captain was sent off and sent back to the locker room. Marseille therefore played most of the match with 10 against 11.

A tense olympic

This double yellow card is the fastest of this Ligue 1 season that began a month ago, the new broadcaster of the competition DAZN indicated on X. Opta, which is a reference in football statistics, specified on the same social network that it was the fastest expulsion with a double yellow card since it began collecting data, that is, since the 2006-2007 season.

With a numerical advantage, Lyon gave Marseille a big scare during the first half with several chances to open the score. They also frustrated, especially after a missed penalty by Alexandre Lacazette just before the break. It took until the 52nd minute for OL to open their account. Ironically, this goal was scored by Duje Caleta-Car… Croatian international and former Marseille player (2018-2022).

OM, injured but not defeated, caught up with the score in the 69th minute and then took the lead by doubling the score in the 81st minute. Despite a second goal from Lyon during extra time, Marseille took the lead again with a third goal in the final seconds of the match. Final score 2-3 at the end of a match with many twists and turns.