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Defender Marcelo, who joined the French club this summer for €7 million, got booked for a foul on opposition player Baptiste Santamaria. The incident occurred during Lyon’s Ligue 1 match against Angers SCO, and Marcelo deemed the punishment harsh.

As referee Mikael Lesage approached Marcelo to book him for the foul, the player remonstrated with officials, before turning away and throwing his left hand up in disgust.

At that very moment, Lesage lowered his card-showing hand, and resulting mid-air clash sent the yellow card flying out of the referee’s hand.

Thinking that the incident was a show of petulance, Lesage swiftly produced a straight red, ignoring Marcelo’s heightened apoplexy at his sending off.

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Social media users commented that it was perhaps the strangest red card ever given, and possibly the fastest ever yellow-red combination to boot.