Twenty-seven minutes had gone by in the “friendly” match between Boca Juniors and Racing. The latter, defending champion of the Argentinian league would win the game 4-1, but lost a key player in a horrific manner.
Boca was already down on the scoreboard (1-2) and with only ten men on the field. Boca Juniors’ Leandro Marin seemed to have lost his mind after lunging from behind with his right leg against Ricardo Centurion’s left leg.
It all happened so quickly but the referee did not hesitate on showing Marin a much-deserved red card, just like any other tackle from behind should be judged. This was such a hard tackle that he also had to leave the game with an injury and may not be coming back until he recovers in a few months.
Watch the horror show:
“If Centurión had the injured leg on the ground at the time of the tackle, the injury could have been worse,” said Racing’s doctor Javier Swiatlo after the game.
Apparently the tackle did some damage to the bone but it is not yet determined how severe the injury is. The Argentinian midfielder had just suffered an assault eight days earlier in Avellaneda.
At the moment of the tackle, Racing’s players were furious and almost jumped over Marin trying to defend their player. At the end of the game, Marin went to check up on Centurion and apologized for his rough action.
Centurion is a well-known and mostly respected player in the city. A goal of his gave Racing its 17th title the past tournament against Godoy Cruz.
