DTotD: Esteban Cambiasso sent off for horror challenge on Giovinco, apologizes after match

Juventus beat Inter 2-1 to further pad their lead atop the Serie A table, but just before full time, Esteban Cambiasso made sure they didn't escape the match unscathed. The Inter midfielder planted a lunging challenge on Sebastian Giovinco's ankle and was lucky he didn't break through it like a rock through wet paper.

Instead of checking on Giovinco, Cambiasso immediately got up and held up his hands to the officials as if to say, "I think that was a shared hallucination we all had and it didn't actually happen." But it did and he was sent off. While Giovinco received treatment near the touchline, the final whistle was blown and Juventus celebrated the win around him. Presumably because he's so tiny that they didn't know he was still there and in pain.

Cambiasso eventually did apologize to Giovinco, though. Said Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni after the match (via Football Italia):

I dont talk about incidents and do not want to comment on the referees decisions.Cambiassosfoul was bad, but he went straight into theJuventuslocker room toapologise. These things can happen, but our fair play demands the player apologise.

Fair play also demands that you not injure opponents with late lunging challenges, but an apology is a start.

This has been the Dirty Tackle of the Day: a chronicling of unfortunate events.