Liga Profesional: Six red cards shown in an encounter between River Plate Vs Boca Juniors
Buenos Aires, Argentina: There was high drama in the clash between Argentinian rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors, with a late penalty for the home side, River Plate prompting a huge brawl.
Six players were shown red cards as late drama in the Superclasico between River Plate and Boca Juniors ended in an on-field brawl involving stars from both teams. A total of nine yellow cards were given during the match as well. Five yellow cards were given to River Plate and four were given to Boca Juniors.
League leaders River were put to the test by their great Argentinian rivals, with the game locked at 0-0 going into second-half stoppage time. However, tempers flared after River was given a penalty, which was converted by Miguel Borja.
Once the dust settled, six players were dismissed - three from each team, including two of River's substitutes. Boca boss Jorge Almiron was also given his marching orders, with River finally celebrating a 1-0 victory after 15 minutes of added time in a fixture which has had plenty of disciplinary drama in the past.
After Borja sent Sergio Romero the wrong way from the spot, Boca's former Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero could be seen sprinting towards the opposition players. More than 20 players were involved in the ensuing scuffle, with officials trying in vain to get themselves between the players.
As Borja continued to celebrate what would prove to be the winner, security staff also attempted to break up the players. While River boss Martin Demichelis spoke to some of his players, others continued to face off with their opponents.
Referee Dario Herrera had already doled out nine yellow cards during the game, but the brawl prompted further action. River's Agustin Lamela was dismissed, along with unused subs Elias Gomez and Ezequiel Centurion, while Boca trio Nicolas Valentini, Miguel Serrano and Ezequiel Fernandez joined manager Almiron in being dismissed.
River Plate is currently managed by former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis and they currently hold a 19-point advantage over their great rivals Boca who are 13th in the table.
Romero was speaking to the media afterwards because his manager Jorge Almiron was also red-carded. Despite the dismissals, Romero was shocked the referee dished out so many red cards. He added: "That was another strange situation.
"I asked him [the referee] why he threw three players out and he told me because in the VAR they told him they threw punches. I asked the boys and they said no, let's see the images again to see if they threw punches or not., the goalkeeper Sergio Romero.
