Red-card disaster in the Champions League! South African footballer sent off in 4-1 defeat

A difficult Champions League evening turned into a nightmare for Sabah.

Details: South African defender Aden McCarthy was shown a red card in the 77th minute as Sabah suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat away to Viking on November 4. The incident occurred during the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase, with the visitors already trailing 2-1.

• Also read: Sint-Truiden vs. Brann: a battle between two contenders for the Conference League knockout stage

The Azerbaijani club had actually started the match brightly. Orphe Mbina opened the scoring in the 11th minute, but Erik Botheim equalized for the Norwegian hosts in the 27th. The teams went into half-time level at 1-1.

Viking took the lead through Zlatko Tripic in the 69th minute, before McCarthy's dismissal left Sabah with ten men. The South African defender received his marching orders just eight minutes after the hosts had gone ahead.

The hosts quickly capitalized on their numerical advantage, with Henrik Falchener scoring in the 81st minute and Botheim adding another goal to seal the 4-1 victory. For Sabah, the red card proved to be a major turning point in an already difficult encounter.

The defeat was another setback for Sabah, who had also lost 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in their previous Champions League fixture. Earlier in the league phase, the Azerbaijani side had celebrated a 2-0 victory over Slavia Prague.

It is worth noting that this was Viking's first victory in the Champions League league phase this season. The Norwegian club had collected just one point from its opening three matches, including a spectacular 3-3 draw against Bayern Munich.

Reminder: Is this a video game? Fabregas' Como produce an absolutely unbelievable Champions League massacre