Frustration overtook the common sense of some Santos fans, leading to a Copa Libertadores match last night ending before full time.
With fans of the famed Brazilian club throwing flares on the field and rioting in the stands, referee Julio Bascunan called the match late in the second half between Santos and Independiente of Argentina, giving the Argentine side a 3-0 aggregate win in the Copa Libertadores Round of 16.
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Much of the frustration from the Santos supporters came after CONMEBOL ruled that Santos used an ineligible player, Carlos Sanchez. Sanchez received a red card in a Copa Sudamericana match in 2015, and hadn’t served that suspension in South America between then and now. Although the first leg in Argentina finished 0-0, Independiente was awarded a 3-0 win due to Santos’ error.
All because Santos put in a player that got a red card 3 YEARS ago ..
— Cristian (@cr1stiaan) August 29, 2018
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Santos’ defeat leaves just Gremio as a non-Argentine side on their side of the knockout round bracket. Atletico Tucuman, who only qualified for the Copa Libertadores for making it to the Copa Argentina final (the club finished 15th in the Argentine league last season), incredibly defeated recent Copa Libertadores champion Atletico Nacional, 2-1 on aggregate.