Quiz: red cards at the World Cup

Carlos Sánchez is given his marching orders. Photograph: Erik S. Lesser/EPA

Carlos Sánchez saw red for Colombia in their opening World Cup match against Japan – the first sending off in the 2018 World Cup. It’s the longest we’ve waited for a sending off in a tournament since the World Cups back in the 1980s. But how much can you remember about red cards at the World Cup? Test yourself below...

World Cup red card quiz

1. 

   Rigobert Song was the first player to be sent off at two World Cups. Who else has this happened to?

   1. Zinedine Zidane

   2. David Beckham

   3. Pepe

   4. Marco Materazzi

2. 

   Which country has had the most players sent off in World Cups?

   1. Argentina

   2. Brazil

   3. Italy

   4. Portugal

3. 

   Northern Ireland's famous 1-0 victory over hosts Spain in the 1982 World Cup featured a red card. Who received it?

   1. Gerry Armstrong

   2. Mal Donaghy

   3. Sammy McIlroy

   4. Martin O'Neill

4. 

   How many red cards were there in matches involving Argentina during the 1990 World Cup?

   1. 8

   2. 7

   3. 6

   4. 5

5. 

   Which World Cup featured the most red cards?

   1. 1998

   2. 2002

   3. 2006

   4. 2010

6. 

   Ray Wilkins was sent off in 1986 against Morocco. What was his red card offence?

   1. Spitting at an opponent

   2. Deliberate handball on the line

   3. Punching an opponent

   4. Throwing the ball at the referee

7. 

   Which Brazilian star followed up a goal against England in the 2002 quarter-final by being sent off?

   1. Roberto Carlos

   2. Rivaldo

   3. Ronaldinho

   4. Kaká

8. 

   In which World Cup was the concept of showing yellow and red cards introduced for the first time?

   1. 1966

   2. 1970

   3. 1974

   4. 1978

9. 

   Who was awarded a yellow card seconds before David Beckham was sent off at the 1998 World Cup?

   1. Diego Simeone

   2. Gabriel Batistuta

   3. Matías Almeyda

   4. Claudio López

10. 

    José Batista was sent off in the first minute of a 1986 World Cup match. Who were Uruguay's opponents?

    1. Scotland

    2. West Germany

    3. Denmark

    4. Argentina

Solutions

1:A - As well as that legendary headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane was sent off in the group stages in 1998 when France won the title., 2:B - Brazil have had 11 sendings off during World Cups. Argentina are just behind with 10., 3:B - With Northern Ireland leading 1-0 up, Donaghy appeared to push José Camacho on the touchline. After consulting his assistant, the ref produced the red card. The 10 men then hung on for another 27 minutes to qualify for the next phase of the tournament., 4:A - Incredibly, eight of the 16 red cards dished out at Italia 90 were in matches featuring Argentina. They had two players sent off in the final and a player sent off in their semi-final against the hosts. Playing against them, Cameroon (two), Soviet Union, Brazil and Yugoslavia all had players sent off., 5:C - Twenty-eight were dished out., 6:D - Wilkins had taken over the captaincy from the injured Bryan Robson, but the frustration of a 0-0 group game with Morocco after England had suffered a defeat in their opening match got the better off him. He was booked in the 42nd minute, then red carded for throwing the ball at the ref in the 44th., 7:C - Ronaldinho's astonishing long distance free-kick goal against David Seaman was followed up later in the game with a misjudged tackle on Danny Mills, which led to a red card., 8:B - The practice began in the 1970 tournament, hosted by Mexico. The first player to actually receive a red card though was Carlos Caszely in 1974., 9:A - Kim Milton Nielsen booked Simeone for his original challenge on Beckham before sending off the Manchester United player for his kick out at the Argentinian., 10:A - His tackle on Gordon Strachan earned him a straight red card. Uruguay held on for the rest of the game to claim a 0-0 draw and qualify from the group at Scotland's expense.

Scores

1. 1 and above.

   You deserve a red card for that effort

2. 2 and above.

   You deserve a red card for that effort

3. 4 and above.

   Like Argentina's disciplinary record, you could do better

4. 5 and above.

   Like Argentina's disciplinary record, you could do better

5. 7 and above.

   Well done

6. 8 and above.

   Well done

7. 10 and above.

   Well done

8. 9 and above.

   Well done

9. 6 and above.

   Like Argentina's disciplinary record, you could do better

10. 0 and above.

    You deserve a red card for that effort

11. 3 and above.

    Like Argentina's disciplinary record, you could do better