Trabzonspor defender Chibuike Nwaiwu was shown a straight red card for violent conduct in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time as his side lost 1-0 to Ferencvaros in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off on Wednesday, a decision that has since drawn criticism from pundits who argued the sending-off was too severe.
Croatian referee Igor Pajac issued the red card following a challenge by the Nigerian defender, leaving Trabzonspor to finish the match with 10 men. Kristoffer Zachariassen had earlier given Ferencvaros the lead in the 17th minute, meeting a cross from Oliver Nagy to head the ball into the bottom corner past goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The result leaves Trabzonspor needing to overturn a one-goal deficit in the second leg in Budapest on August 27, with the winner advancing to the Europa League’s league phase and the loser dropping into the Europa Conference League.
Trabzonspor dominated possession, finishing with 66% of the ball and 24 attempts on goal to Ferencvaros’ 11, but managed only three shots on target. New signing Mohamed Salah, making his home debut for the club after joining from Liverpool, had the Turkish side’s best chance in the 49th minute but saw his effort roll just wide.
