Player sent off for grabbing ref's card

Botafogo defender Andre Luis was sent off for grabbing the referee's yellow card as the Brazilian side were knocked out of the Copa Sudamericana by Argentina's Estudiantes on Wednesday.

Estudiantes went through 4-2 on aggregate after holding out for a 2-2 draw in a bad-tempered quarter-final second leg at the Joao Havelange stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Estudiantes got the perfect start when Marcos Angeleri scored after three minutes. Juan Salgeiro doubled the visitors' lead when he rifled home from the edge of the penalty box in the 33rd minute.

Botafogo enjoyed a brief revival when Lucio Flavio pulled one back from a penalty in the 58th minute and Andre Luis equalised soon afterwards.

But their hopes evaporated in the 68th minute following a brawl in which Andre Luis, who earlier this year was escorted out of the stadium by police after being sent off in a Brazilian championship match against Nautico, was booked.

The enraged defender then snatched the yellow card from referee Carlos Chandia and was promptly sent off.

Estudiantes captain Juan Sebastian Veron was the victim of an apparent witch-hunt as Botafogo tempers frayed and their players took it in turns to foul him.