Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Esteban Andrada punched Huesca captain Jorge Pulido in the face on Sunday, triggering a mass brawl that produced three red cards in a Spanish second division match at El Alcoraz.
Huesca won the Aragonese derby 1-0 through Oscar Sielva’s goal, with referees also dismissing Huesca goalkeeper Dani Jimenez for striking Andrada and Zaragoza defender Dani Tasende after a VAR review. The flashpoint arrived eight minutes into stoppage time, with both clubs deep in a relegation scrap.
The Argentine goalkeeper ignored the run of play, walked towards Pulido and hit him with his right hand. Jimenez responded by throwing a punch at Andrada, and players from both sides piled in. The referee took several minutes to restore order before issuing the cards.
The result tightened the bottom of the table. Huesca climbed to 36 points in 19th place, one ahead of Zaragoza, who slipped to second-bottom on 35.
Huesca manager Jose Luis refused to defend his goalkeeper or excuse the scenes. “It’s hard to explain; I think it’s a complete loss of control. I can put myself in their shoes, given what was at stake and all. But it’s unjustifiable. It’s just that I don’t know what to do or how to stop it; a brawl breaks out,” he said.
Coaches often shield their players after red cards, yet Jose Luis accepted there is no tactical or emotional argument that covers a goalkeeper punching a rival captain.
“It’s ugly; this was supposed to be a celebration of Aragonese football. I’d like people to talk about the match, even though it was ugly, with little play but a lot of hard work,” he added.
