Defender Luciano Sanchez (Argentinos Juniors Club) broke his leg after a collision with Marcelo (Club Fluminense) at the Copa Libertadores, South America.
Marcelo (left) burst into tears after a shocking foul – Photo: TYC Sports
This situation happened in the 56th minute, when the score was 1-1. Marcelo is the keeper, and Luciano Sanchez rushes in to find a way to block.
Before the opponent’s intervention, Marcelo flipped the ball over to the right foot. But at the same time his left foot also stepped on Sanchez’s leg. Immediately, Sanchez’s left leg was broken and bent 90 degrees.
Picture of a terrible broken leg – Photo: Paramount
As soon as he saw the opponent fall, Marcelo raised his hand to signal to the referee. The Brazilian defender expressed guilt with his horrible foul.
He burst into tears when the referee showed him a red card later. Several Argentinos Juniors players also sympathized with Marcelo and comforted him.
Luciano Sanchez was immediately taken to the local hospital Sanatorio Finochietto.
Doctors said that the 29-year-old Argentine defender had completely dislocated his knee joint. He needed 8 – 12 months to recover from this horrible injury.
Immediately after the match, Marcelo apologized to Sanchez on social networks.
“I went through a difficult time today. I didn’t mean to hurt my colleague. I wish him the best possible recovery,” Marcelo said.
Luciano Sanchez needs about a year to recover – Photo: AP
As for the Argentinos Juniors club, they also sympathized with Marcelo’s seemingly accidental moment of foul. “We are rivals, not enemies,” said Argentina’s team representative.
As for the Fluminense club, coach Fernando Dinez thinks that Marcelo does not deserve to be sent off. The 35-year-old Brazilian defender returned to play for his hometown team in early 2023. Before that, he moved to Olympiakos after leaving Real Madrid in 2022.
