Brazilian soccer player sent off after 3 seconds of play

By The Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — A Brazilian soccer player was sent off in a top flight division match on Saturday for 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 in 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 immediately sent the 32-year-old Cruzeiro player off for one of the earliest red cards in soccer history.