CD Marathón defender Andre Orellana was sent off for a crunching 'double tackle' in the latter stages of their Liga Nacional clash against Olimpia – and footage of the incident has since gone viral.
An 84th minute goal from Kevin Lopez handed league leaders Olimpia a crucial three points in Sunday's game against Marathón, as Francisco Arce's side extended their lead at the top of Honduras' top tier.
But a seriously dangerous tackle from 21-year-old full-back Andre Orellana – just moments after Lopez scored the eventual winner – inevitably made headlines following the full-time whistle.
As you can see from the footage below, Orellana was handed a straight red card at the Estadio Yankel Rosenthal after he wiped out both Carlos Pineda and German Mejia with an extraordinary jumping tackle.
With just over a minute remaining of normal time, the referee had no other option but to send him off. After the full-time whistle, Orellana apologised for his actions. "The truth is I was wrong and I apologise to everyone, you are human and you learn from mistakes," he told DIEZ.
“I think it was a play where the momentum and courage for the game overcame me, it is not correct at all.
"Germán Mejía told me that nothing was happening, that he loves me and that I was part of the game, that I should not lose my DNA and that I should continue working, that I have a lot to continue growing."
He added: "This is part of football, all that remains for me is to correct and know how to control each impulse. I have to know how to have a balance. I tell you that this will not happen again."Here's how social media reacted to Orellana's red card offence.One said: "Should never play again," while another commented: "The tackle itself is obviously something but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a referee reaching for the red card before the tackled player lands on the floor before."
A third wrote: "2 for 1. And that had to be the fastest I’ve ever seen a ref go to his back pocket for a red."
A fourth added: "He should get two red cards for this."
When a reporter told the defender that his actions were going viral on social media, Orellana replied: "This is part of football. As I mentioned before, I am aware that I was wrong and I apologise to everyone. We learn from mistakes."
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