Manchester United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was sent off twice during Morocco’s shock defeat to South Africa in the African Cup of Nations Round of 16 match.
Evidence Makgopa gave South Africa a surprise lead against the tournament favourites Morocco.
And Achraf Hakimi went on to miss a golden opportunity to equalise from the spot for Morocco on the other end.
In the dying moments of stoppage time, Amrabat, already on a yellow card, received a second yellow and an eventual red for a reckless foul on the last defender.
As the player exited the pitch and headed toward the tunnel, the referee called him back for a review by the VAR.
The player and Morocco fans likely anticipated the overturning of the yellow card.
However, after the on-field referee examined the incident on the pitchside monitor, he reversed his decision, rescinding the second yellow card and instead issuing a straight red – sending him off for the second time.
The free-kick was then curled into the back of the net expertly by Teboho Mokoena to successfully secure the win for South Africa.
Watch the incident below:
The referee SENT Amrabat OFF, called him back and SENT him OFF again in yesterday's #AFCON2023??? matchup. ?#AFCONonGTVSports #GTVSports pic.twitter.com/gNAaFZvehC
— GTV SPORTS+ (@mygtvsports) January 31, 2024
AFCON has been everything.
Amrabat got a second yellow & red last night, VAR called the ref, asked Amrabat to wait on the pitch & the ref returned to change the second yellow to a straight red card. ?
AFCON VARs need to start masterclass for the rest of the world. ?
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) January 31, 2024
Man Utd's Sofyan Amrabat was sent off for a second yellow…
But VAR intervened to make his day even worse ? #BBCFootball #AFCON pic.twitter.com/IcyRtx4z6e
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 30, 2024
