Fans on social media decried a 'vile and hateful' tackle Alan Benitez made in the dying minutes of a testy Copa Libertadores clash between his Cerro Porteno side and Chilean opponents Colo-Colo. <br /><br />Wednesday night saw the final group stage game of the competition, with the Paraguayan team in desperate need of a win to sneak past their rivals on the night into the knockout rounds. <br /><br />But with the score deadlocked at 1-1, a moment of headlessness in the 99th minute from Benitez all but took the game away from the Asuncion-based side. <br /><br />The 30-year-old set off in pursuit of Maximiliano Falcon, and to stop the defender's run, launched himself at the Uruguayan. <br /><br />Benitez appeared to stamp deliberately and with force on Falcon's ankle, immediately flooring him, with Falcon tumbling to the turf in pain. <br /><br />A swift VAR intervention from Leonard Mosquera alerted on-pitch referee Wilmar Roldan to the reckless challenge and saw Benitez handed a straight red card and dismissed moments before time. <br /><br />But fans were increasingly appalled by the challenge as a clip of the incident circulated on Reddit, with all in agreement that Benitez's punishment was a fair one. <br /><br />'That might be one of the most vile and hateful tackles that I've ever seen,' one comment read. 'He just went for career-ending, straight up.'<br /><br />Another argued that it was 'worth (considering) as an assault'. <br /><br />'This is some Ballon d'Or worthy foul, dude is shameless,' one supporter added. <br /><br />A fourth wondered: 'Holy s*** there is hate in that tackle.' <br /><br />Some fans wondered if there should be further punishment for Benitez based on the aggression shown on the pitch, with one calling for a lifetime ban. <br /><br />'Should be banned for the rest of his career,' one commenter wrote. 'This is criminal. Straight up the assault.'<br /><br />Another seconded the idea, adding: 'Should be banned for a good while for that.' <br /><br />After the match, Falcon confirmed that he had picked up an injury from the challenge, saying: 'Apparently I have a Grade 2 or 3 sprain (from the tackle). <br /><br />The draw on the road was all the Chilean side needed to progress to the round of 16 alongside group leaders - and defending champions - Fluminense. <br /><br />Colo-Colo ended their group stage campaign level on points with Cerro Porteno but had an improved away goals record that snuck them over the line.
