Boca Juniors' 2-2 draw with Benfica at the Club World Cup was entertaining in its own right, both between Benfica's ability to mount a comeback after going down 2-0 before the half hour mark and the fact that the sides racked up a total of three red cards along the way. There was a unique moment, though, in the final minutes of the match – one featuring the referee and a religious figure.
In the 88th minute, Boca Juniors' Nicolas Figal picked up a red card – the third of the game and his team's second – following a tackle on Benfica's Florentino Luís, right after Luis was involved in a tussle with Boca's Luis Advincula. Referee Cesar Ramos wasted little time breaking out the red card, but he also accidentally pulled out a card that appeared to have a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe alongside i
The card showed Our Lady of Guadalupe, an apparition of the Virgin Mary, considered the patron saint of Mexico and a powerful national symbol of Mexican identity and Catholic faith. She was proclaimed patroness of Mexico City in 1737 (via Britannica), with that patronage being accepted by the territories of New Spain, which included part of present-day California several years later. Her status has also been involved in highlighting Mexican nationalism and identity, with hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visiting her shrine in Mexico City each year.
Ramos quickly pulled the card with the religious figure down with one of his fingers before grabbing it with his other hand and putting it into his pocket, but not before the moment was captured on camera and went viral.
The scene went viral online, and some users noted: "Figal was blessed and still sent off". Ultimately, nine-men Boca Juniors held on over the final minutes of the contest to earn a point against Benfica at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Source: Tribuna
