The VAR acted: two expelled in Deportivo Cali after attacks against Melgar | VIDEO

The match Melgar vs. Deportivo Cali had an uneventful outcome, in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. During the last minutes, the soccer players Carlos Lucumí and Daniel Luna, from the Colombian squad, attacked their rivals, the VAR intervened and the referee Mario Díaz de Vivar expelled them.

The clock was over 81 minutes and the ‘Sugar Bowlers’, motivated by their fans in the stands, devised an attack down the left wing. Although the defense of the Arequipa team had left many spaces, the offside trap was established perfectly.

Precisely, Carlos Lucumí was disabled when connecting a center, but he executed a strange movement at the same time: he raised his left leg and hit the neck of Leonel Galeano, Melgar’s central defender. In the first instance, the referee did not decree a foul, considering that it was an involuntary situation.

However, from the VAR they called a review and the Paraguayan judge determined that the Deportivo Cali striker deserved a red card. The expelled footballer did not complain and quietly retired (85′).

The match resumed and Melgar advanced his lines to try to take advantage of the numerical advantage on the field. At the same time, there was a lack of control in the “Azucareros” squad and Daniel Luna, who had eight minutes on the field, deliberately hit Luis Iberico in the face (86′).

The scene was evident and the referee gave a yellow card to the 19-year-old steering wheel of Deportivo Cali. Everything seemed to continue normally, but again the VAR made a call. The referee went to the monitor, analyzed and changed his decision: he eliminated the preventive letter and showed the red card (88′).

The Colombian club finished with nine men and only obtained a draw at home against Melgar, who leaves the key open. Let us remember that this round of 16 series of the South American Cup will be defined in Arequipa, next Wednesday, July 6.