Di Maria banned for elbowing
Juventus star Angel Di Maria was red carded for elbowing Armando Itzo in the chest in Serie A against Monza. And the Argentinian forward has been banned for two matches as a league 'standard' penalty for 'horrendous unsportsmanlike conduct'.
The current season is not going well for the Italian giant Juventus. They are eighth in the Serie A table with 10 points in the match. On top of that, they lost the night match last Sunday (September 18) against Monza, who are at the bottom of the league points table, by 1-0. The result, however, could have been different if Di Maria had not been sent off in the 40th minute of the match.
Injuries have plagued Di Maria since joining Juventus. The Argentinian star was injured in his Serie A debut against Sassuolo and was out of the field for two matches. Before leaving the field in that match, however, he played a role in the team's 3-0 victory. In addition to scoring a goal, Di Maria also provided an assist.
Juventus then dropped points in his absence against Sampdoria and Roma. In his return match against Spezia, the Turin club won 2-0. In the next match against Fiorentina, Di Maria had to leave the field in the first half after being injured again. The match ended 1-1. With that injury, the Argentine star had to spend on the bench after the match against PSG in the Champions League and also in the league match against Salernitana.
After recovering, he came on as a substitute against Benfica in the Champions League. After that he went out of the field for two more matches after seeing a red card in the league match against Monza. But this time not due to injury, he had to be banned for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the 40th minute of the match against Monza, Di Maria was taking possession of a teammate's pass. At this time, Armando tried to tackle him from behind. After trying to fight back for a while, Di Maria elbowed Armando from behind in frustration. And immediately the referee came and showed the red card and sent the Argentine star out of the field. However, Di Maria could not accept the referee's decision.
but she had to leave the field following that decision. After the match, the league suspended him for two matches as standard punishment for 'horrific unsportsmanlike conduct'. He was spared a greater punishment as the injuries were not serious.
Di Maria will have to sit on the bench in the match against Bologna on October 2 and AC Milan on October 8. In between, however, he can enter the field for the national team.
