Watch bizarre optical illusion as Barcelona star sent off in Champions League… and commentator has NO idea what happened

A FORMER Premier League prima was incredibly sent disconnected successful a bizarre optical illusion.

And it proved important arsenic his broadside fell to a daze decision successful their Champions League opener.

Eric Garcia started successful midfield for Barcelona arsenic they took connected Monaco.

However, his crippled lasted conscionable TEN minutes earlier helium was fixed his marching orders... oregon was he?

Garcia was enactment nether unit by a sloppy walk from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

And that allowed Takumi Minamino to prime his pocket.

Ex-Manchester City antheral Garcia past brought down the erstwhile Liverpool guardant successful a cynical foul arsenic Minamino closed successful connected goal.

It was a blatant goalscoring accidental and with the incidental taking spot extracurricular of the punishment area, the offence warranted a reddish card.

But did the referee agree?

Well, it was not instantly clear.

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That is due to the fact that authoritative Allard Lindhout blew his whistle to grant the free-kick and sprinted implicit to the 2 players sprawled retired connected the turf.

He past reached for his backmost pouch and produced a card.

However, connected archetypal viewing connected the TV cameras, the paper looked yellow.

The commentator intelligibly thought so, too.

Sam Matterface, calling the enactment for TNT Sports, said: "It's conscionable a yellowish card. That's a monolithic let-off for Eric Garcia.

"Well, it looked similar the yellowish paper came out. I was astir convinced the reddish paper was incoming. The VAR volition surely cheque it."

Interestingly, arsenic soon arsenic the referee brandished the paper supra his head, it was the Barcelona players - alternatively than the Monaco stars - who instantly surrounded him and protested.

That would truthful connote they were not blessed with the determination - and surely would not person done truthful if Garcia escaped with lone a yellow.

Then the authoritative Champions League graphic flashed up connected the surface stating Garcia had received a nonstop reddish paper - arsenic helium trudged disconnected the transportation towards the tunnel.

Matterface added: "Well, I wonderment if the referee has brought retired the wrong-coloured paper due to the fact that there's perfectly nary volition to triumph the shot and that would ordinarily beryllium a reddish card.

"We are being told connected our accusation strategy it's a yellowish paper but I deliberation he's walking here.

"That's a reddish card, a nonstop reddish card, that's the close decision.

"I deliberation the referee pulled retired the incorrect card."

However, connected further investigation, though the paper seemed to beryllium yellowish connected the screen, that really appeared to beryllium another footballing optical illusion owed to a reflection of light.

In fact, the referee DID pull retired the reddish card.

That was confirmed by photographs from the country with Garcia and Minamino lying connected the level arsenic the referee held up the card.

The video footage besides showed him putting the reddish backmost into his shorts during the commotion connected the field.

And Garcia's aboriginal bath intelligibly had an interaction arsenic Maghnes Akliouche enactment Monaco up six minutes later.

Lamine Yamal equalised conscionable earlier the half-hour people with his archetypal Champions League goal.

But George Ilenikhena grabbed the victor for the Ligue 1 broadside 20 minutes from clip to manus Barca the nightmare commencement to the caller campaign.

It was the 18-year-old's archetypal Monaco extremity - and prompted hilarious scenes successful the CBS Sports studios arsenic Jamie Carragher butchered his effort to pronounce Ilenikhena's name.