DTotD: Ukraines Taras Stepanenko delivers shocking kick to the face in World Cup Qualifier

Ukraine earned their second win of 2014 World Cup Qualification with a 2-1 victory over Moldova in snowy Odessa on Tuesday, putting them even on points in Group H with fellow Euro 2012 hosts Poland.

The Ukrainians were seconds away from finishing the game with 11 men on the field and their dignity intact when Shakhtar Donetsk's Taras Stepanenko delivered a brutal flying kick to the head of a Moldovan defender in the 93rd minute. That kind of challenge is exactly what straight red cards are made for, leaving the referee absolutely no choice but to send the defensive midfielder to the showers a little early.

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

Video H/T: 101GG