Brazilian footballer sent off just three seconds into top flight match

Cruzeiro’s Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Brazilian striker Rafa Silva was sent off after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match. | Photo Credit: Reuters

A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top flight division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.

Cruzeiro’s Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense.

Silva hit Athletico’s Kaique Rocha slightly below his neck as they challenged for the ball shortly after kick off.

Referee Rodrigo Jose Pereira de Lima duly sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in football history.

Athletico is fighting against relegation in the Brazilian league.

Cruzeiro is seeking one of the top positions to secure a direct berth in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

The team from Belo Horizonte rested some of its players for the match in the city of Curitiba so they can recover for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana at Argentina’s Lanus next week. The first leg ended 1-1.