A red card was issued at the Women’s European Championship after a player was caught pulling an opponent’s hair—marking the second such incident in less than a week.
Germany’s midfielder Kathrin Hendrich was sent off just 13 minutes into Saturday’s quarterfinal against France after the video assistant referee (VAR) caught her yanking the ponytail of French captain Griedge Mbock as a free kick was delivered into the box.
Referee showed Hendrich a straight red card, and France capitalized immediately, with Grace Geyoro converting the penalty to put her side 1-0 up.
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The rare dismissal mirrored a similar scene from the Club World Cup final just six days earlier, when Paris Saint-Germain’s João Neves was ejected for pulling down Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella by the hair.
Despite the early setback of being a player and a goal down, Germany responded swiftly with an equalizer 10 minutes later. The eight-time European champions showed immense determination, holding France through extra time and eventually prevailing 6-5 in the penalty shootout—thanks to crucial saves by goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
Germany will now face reigning World Cup champion Spain in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Source: Agency