Goalkeeper Esteban Andrada of Spanish second-division club Real Zaragoza had a serious outburst during the match against Huesca.
The Aragon derby was crucial for both teams, as both were deeply involved in the relegation battle. Huesca was leading 1-0 in the closing stages when a scandal erupted in stoppage time. In the 98th minute, Andrada intended to send a final long free-kick from midfield into the penalty area. However, a Zaragoza player went down inside the box. The referee was called to the VAR monitor, which prompted Huesca captain Jorge Pulido into action. He approached the official to protest. Andrada intervened, and both players were subsequently sent off by the referee. The goalkeeper then confronted Pulido, pushing him to the ground.
For this action, Andrada received a yellow-red card from the referee and then completely lost control. He sprinted towards Pulido and landed a swinging punch to his face. A large brawl ensued, leading to further dismissals as the referee reviewed these scenes on the monitor. Both teams had to designate an outfield player to go in goal for the remaining moments. However, this did not change the outcome: Huesca overtook Zaragoza in the standings and is now fourth from the bottom, while Real sits second to last.
«It’s hard to explain. I’m trying to understand the situation, but I don’t want to justify what is unjustifiable. It was completely irrational. It was ugly,» said Huesca coach Jose Luis Oltra.
Zaragoza captain Francho Serrano added: «I don’t know what happened. As captain, I want to apologize for this. Zaragoza should not present such an image. I’m sorry.»
Esteban Andrada is on loan at Zaragoza from Monterrey this season. In the summer, the 35-year-old played against Borussia Dortmund with the Mexican club at the Club World Cup. He earned four caps for Argentina’s national team in 2019.