Cesar Montes and Maximiliano Araujo challenged each other with headbutts during a penalty play
Cesar Montes and Maximiliano Araujo clashed with headbutts in one of the most controversial moments of the 0-0 draw between Mexico and Uruguay at the TSM Stadium
Cesar Montes, defender for the Mexican national team, and Maximiliano Araujo, forward for the Uruguayan national team, nearly sparked a major brawl between the two squads in the friendly match at the stadium TSM due to a penalty not awarded against the Mexican national team.
Suddenly, Montes, in a play against Araujo, former Toluca striker, where the Mexican committed a penalty against the Uruguayan, but it wasn't called by Panamanian referee Fernando Javier Moron, caused the Mexican defender from Lokomotiv to go after him to claim simulation in the play.
This led to an angry protest from Araujo that angered Montes, causing them to confront each other face to face and exchange a series of headbutts in front of each other, as well as some shoves that led the referee to caution both players and the benches of both teams to empty.
But the action didn't end there, as Johan Vazquez suddenly tried to calm Araujo by pulling him to the side, while Uruguayans Rodrigo Aguirre and Jose Maria Jimenez went after the referee Panamanian to protest the play and the Mexican's provocation.
But the Central American referee didn't back down and suddenly, faced with the insistent protests of Buffalo Aguirre of America, he stopped in his tracks to show him the yellow card, which instantly calmed the Uruguayan striker to avoid being sent off.
That action was one of the many fouls committed during regulation time, mainly due to the usual intensity of the Uruguayans, and the Mexicans didn't stand idly by either, especially after the unfriendly tackles by the Uruguayans.
Unfriendly tackle on Gilberto Mora
During the game, there was also an unfriendly tackle on Gilberto Mora in the 58th minute, when Nahitan Nandez, Julian Quinones' teammate at Al Qadisiya of Saudi Arabia, went in with a studs-up challenge on Gilberto Mora's calf that He was able to pull his leg out and avoid a serious injury.
Referee Moron then began to show his lack of personality and ability by only issuing a yellow card, when the action warranted at least a VAR review, as it was a tackle with excessive force.
These types of actions, along with the referee's leniency, almost degenerated into a serious confrontation between the two teams, especially after the aforementioned headbutt duel between Montes and Araujo.