Strasbourg's Ghanaian defender, Alexander Djiku, endured a frustrating outing as his team fought to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Troyes in round 36 of the French Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Djiku's day took a turn for the worse when he was shown a straight red card in the 72nd minute. Initially, the referee issued a yellow card, but after a VAR review, it was upgraded to a red card, leaving Djiku to face an early exit from the game.
This came just after the defender's return from suspension due to yellow card accumulation.
Despite being reduced to ten men, RC Strasbourg Alsace managed to secure a crucial point in their quest for Ligue 1 survival. The match against already-relegated ES Troyes AC took place at the Stade de l'Aube.
During the match, Djiku had a narrow miss with a headed effort, and moments later, Diarra struck the underside of the crossbar with a powerful strike. However, it was Djiku's foul that led to a free-kick opportunity for Rony Lopes, who capitalized on the chance and equalized for Troyes.
As the game intensified in the final 20 minutes, both teams had opportunities, but neither could find a winning goal. The draw brings Strasbourg closer to securing their place in Ligue 1 for the upcoming season, while Troyes extended their winless streak to 19 league games (D5, L14) - the longest ongoing run among Europe's top five leagues.