Brazilian Football Player Sent off after 3 Seconds of Play

Fans of Cruzeiro celebrate a goal during the Copa Sudamericana semi-final first leg football match between Brazil's Cruzeiro and Argentina's Lanus at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
Fans of Cruzeiro celebrate a goal during the Copa Sudamericana semi-final first leg football match between Brazil's Cruzeiro and Argentina's Lanus at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
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Brazilian Football Player Sent off after 3 Seconds of Play

Fans of Cruzeiro celebrate a goal during the Copa Sudamericana semi-final first leg football match between Brazil's Cruzeiro and Argentina's Lanus at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on October 23, 2024. (AFP)
Fans of Cruzeiro celebrate a goal during the Copa Sudamericana semi-final first leg football match between Brazil's Cruzeiro and Argentina's Lanus at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on October 23, 2024. (AFP)

A Brazilian striker was sent off in a top flight division match on Saturday after hitting a rival with his elbow just three seconds into a match.

Cruzeiro's Rafa Silva left his team one man down in what ended as a 3-0 defeat at Athletico Paranaense.

Silva hit Athletico's Kaique Rocha slightly below his neck as they challenged for the ball shortly after kick off.

Referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima duly sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in football history.

Athletico is fighting against relegation in the Brazilian league.

Cruzeiro is seeking one of the top positions to secure a direct berth in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

The team from Belo Horizonte rested some of its players for the match in the city of Curitiba so they can recover for the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana at Argentina's Lanus next week. The first leg ended 1-1.



Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

 Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
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Is Antonio Conte’s Napoli for Real? The Next 4 Games Are a Real Test

 Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)
Napoli's head coach Antonio Conte gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Napoli and Lecce at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Alessandro Garofalo/LaPresse via AP)

Antonio Conte's Napoli has been unbeatable since mid-August.

Now comes the real test.

The Serie A leader will travel to the San Siro twice for games at AC Milan and Inter Milan in a space of less than two weeks and also play Atalanta and Roma over its next four matches. The rough stretch starts on Tuesday at Milan.

If Napoli can keep the lead or stay near the top after these four games, the Partenopei will be a serious contender for their second Italian title in three years — an achievement that would improve upon the two "scudetti" in four years that the club won with Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990.

Having won eight of its last nine matches — interrupted only by a 0-0 draw at Juventus in September — Napoli hasn't lost since getting beaten by Hellas Verona in its Serie A opener on Aug. 18.

"We have amassed the points we needed to," Conte said, "and now it's never a walk in the park to play at the San Siro — whether it's against Inter or Milan."

Since the loss to Verona, Napoli has scored 16 goals and conceded two.

But Conte's side could be challenged by a Milan team that is rested after its match on Saturday was postponed due to flooding in Bologna.

Two key Milan players are suspended, though: Theo Hernandez and Tijjani Reijnders.

"Milan is certainly a strong team, who let us not forget was 22 points clear of Napoli last season and invested heavily on the transfer market," Conte said.

Napoli went through 3 different coaches last season

After winning Serie A under Luciano Spalletti in 2023, Napoli went through three different coaches last season when it finished 10th to miss out on Europe.

Conte signed a three-year contract in June and has made an almost immediate impact.

"Antonio is able to get inside the players' heads," said Ciro Ferrara, a former teammate of Conte's at Juventus turned analyst at DAZN. "He's able to extract the best out of his players."

Conte has also been a serial winner as a manager, amassing three Serie A titles at Juventus, Premier League and FA Cup trophies at Chelsea and another Serie A title at Inter Milan. He even guided Bari to the Serie B title before he moved to Juventus.

Lukaku, McTominay and Neres are making an impact

Conte convinced Romelu Lukaku to rejoin him at Napoli after the pair won at Inter and the Belgian striker has filled in well for the departed Victor Osimhen. Another player who has made an immediate impact is midfielder Scott McTominay, who joined in August after playing for Manchester United his entire career.

It was McTominay's header that led to a goal for Giovanni Di Lorenzo in a scrappy 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday.

Newly signed David Neres has also been a force, giving Napoli more options beyond Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the wings.

Napoli has won its opening five home games at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for only the third time; having also achieved the feat with Maradona himself in 1989 and under Spalletti in 2021.

It's two tough away tests at the San Siro, though, that could give more credence to Napoli's potential.