Alexander Djiku, the Ghanaian defender for Strasbourg, experienced a frustrating match as his team battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Troyes in the 36th round of the French Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Djiku’s day took a turn for the worse when he received a straight red card in the 72nd minute. Initially, the referee showed him a yellow card, but after a VAR review, it was upgraded to a red card, resulting in Djiku’s early exit from the game.
This setback came just after the defender’s return from suspension due to accumulating yellow cards.
Despite being reduced to ten men, RC Strasbourg Alsace managed to secure a crucial point in their quest to stay in Ligue 1. The match, held at the Stade de l’Aube, was against ES Troyes AC, a team already relegated.
During the game, Djiku had a close miss with a headed effort, and moments later, Diarra struck the underside of the crossbar with a powerful shot. However, it was Djiku’s foul that led to a free-kick opportunity for Rony Lopes, who took advantage and equalized for Troyes.
As the intensity increased in the final 20 minutes, both teams had chances to score, 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.