Watch bizarre optical illusion as Barcelona star sent off in Champions League… and commentator has NO idea what happened

A FORMER Premier League star has been unbelievably ruled out in a bizarre optical illusion.

And that proved crucial as his team suffered a shock defeat in their Champions League opener.

Looks like Eric Garcia only got a yellow card despite his obvious foul Credit: X @TNTSports

The official Champions League graphic showed him receiving a straight red cardCredit: X @TNTSports

Eric Garcia started in midfield for Barcelona as they played against Monaco.

However, his game only lasted TEN minutes before he was given his marching orders… or didn’t he?

Garcia was put under pressure by a sloppy pass from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

And that allowed Takuma Minamino to pick his pocket.

Former Manchester City player Garcia then felled the former Liverpool forward with a cynical foul as Minamino closed the scoring.

It was a clear goal scoring opportunity and the incident took place outside the penalty area, the offense warranted a red card.

But did the judge agree?

Well, it wasn’t immediately clear.

SOCCER FREE BETTING AND REGISTRATION

That’s because official Allard Lindhout blew his whistle to award a free kick and ran over to the two players sprawled out on the pitch.

Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a card.

‘Brain-busting’ MOTD Champions League opener divides fans as BBC decision shows ‘the game never went away again’

However, when first viewed on TV cameras, the card appeared yellow.

And the commentator apparently thought so.

Sam Matterface, calling the action for TNT Sports, said: “It’s just a yellow card. It’s a big release on Eric Garcia.

“Well, it looked like a yellow card was out. I was almost convinced a red card was coming. VAR will check it for sure.”

Interestingly, as soon as the referee waved the card over his head, he was immediately surrounded by Barcelona players, not Monaco stars, and protested.

That would therefore mean they weren’t happy with the decision – and they certainly wouldn’t have been if Garcia had escaped with just a yellow.

Then the official Champions League graphic flashed on the screen, stating that Garcia had received a straight red card – as he walked off the pitch towards the tunnel.

Matterface added: “Well, I wonder if the ref got the wrong color card because there’s absolutely no intention of winning the ball and it would have been a red card otherwise.

“On our information system we were told it was a yellow card, but I think he’s walking here.

“It’s a red card, a straight red card, it’s the right decision.

– I think the referee drew the wrong card.

However, upon further investigation, although the card appeared to be yellow on the screen, it actually appeared to be another football optical illusion due to light reflection.

In fact, the referee DID draw a red card.

This was confirmed by photos from the scene where Garcia and Minamino are lying on the floor while the referee lifts the card.

The footage also shows the Red getting back into his shorts during the commotion on the pitch.

And Garcia’s early swim clearly had an impact as Maghnes Akliouche put Monaco ahead six minutes later.

Lamine Yamal equalized just before half an hour with his first Champions League goal.

But George Ilenikhena grabbed the winner for the Ligue 1 side 20 minutes from time to give Barca a nightmare start to their new campaign.

It was the 18-year-old’s first goal for Monaco – and it sparked hilarious scenes in the CBS Sports studio as Jamie Carragher destroyed his attempt to say Ilenikhena’s name.