Raul Gustavo attacks assistant in Corinthians' defeat in the South American Championship

On Tuesday night (23), Corinthians went to Argentina to face Argentino Juniors in the Copa Sudamericana and ended up being defeated 1-0, with a goal right at the beginning of the match. However, the game was marked by the expulsion of defender Raul Gustavo at the beginning of the second half.

Aggression

The move occurred 13 minutes into the second half. After a ball dispute that resulted in a throw-in for the Argentines, the defender, angry with the marking, ended up pushing the assistant at first and then ended up attacking the linesman, receiving a direct red card.

Simply Raul Gustavo.

Reproduction/ESPNpic.twitter.com/Vm4zNA0EbI

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_{Raul Gustavo attacking the linesman (Video: reproduction/X/Mundo da Bola/ESPN)}

Corinthians had just returned from the break with two changes, including the departure of defender Félix Torres and the addition of midfielder Paulinho, putting the team ahead. With the expulsion, coach António Oliveira needed to change the team again and opted to remove striker Ángel Romero and replace defender Cacá. Midfielder Raniele was also responsible for helping Corinthians' defense, but the team ended up without many offensive forces to tie the match.

This was only the defender's sixth game of the season. He had also played four times for the Campeonato Paulista and once for the Campeonato Brasileiro. This was also the athlete's first expulsion of the season.

Club situation

This was the team's third consecutive defeat of the season and the fourth consecutive game without scoring a goal. With this result, Argentino Juniors took the lead in Group F with six points in three games, while Corinthians appears in second place with four points in three games. Racing, who still plays against Nacional today, could take the lead if they win the match. The Argentine team has the same four points, but in just two games played.

Corinthians now turns its focus to Sunday (28), when the team will face Fluminense in the Brazilian Championship. The club is looking for its first victory in the competition, where it has just one point and currently occupies 18th place in the table.

Featured Photo: Raul Gustavo arguing with the referee after expulsion (Reproduction/Marcos Brindicci/AFP/Getty Images)