In front of Al-Hilal... Kanté receives his first-ever straight red card in his career. The Frenchman, N'Golo Kanté, playing for Al-Ittihad Jeddah, received his first straight red card in a career that spans over a decade. This happened when the referee sent him off during his team's match against Al-Hilal in the first leg of the AFC Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Kanté made a strong challenge on his former Chelsea teammate, Kalidou Koulibaly, in the 65th minute, prompting the referee to consult the video assistant referee (VAR) system and ultimately give Kanté his first-ever straight red card, his first dismissal in ten years.
Previously, N'Golo received two yellow cards within 13 minutes during his team's match against Caen and Saint-Étienne in the French league back in September 2014, resulting in his expulsion from the field. This incident marked his first and only dismissal before his red card against Al-Hilal on Tuesday.
Throughout his career, Kanté has played 413 matches for clubs including Boulogne, Caen, Leicester City, Chelsea, and Al-Ittihad Jeddah, as well as for the French national team. He has accumulated 58 yellow cards during this time, with more than half of them earned during his tenure at Chelsea, where he received 38 yellow cards in 269 matches.
