Liverpool keeper Alisson was dismissed twice but was saved by VAR on both occasions as Brazil were shown four red cards in a 1–1 draw with Ecuador.
In a remarkable start to the World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador’s keeper Aleksandar Dominguez was sent off after a quarter of an hour when he hit striker Matthias Cunha in the chest.
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But Brazil’s man advantage lasted just five minutes as Tottenham wingback Emerson Royal was swiftly given his marching order.
The 23-year-old Spurs defender, who was booked for leaning into a challenge with his hand in the opening seconds of the game, was shown a second yellow card and dismissed.
But the drama was not over as Alison’s eventful night began to unravel.
In the 26th minute, he came out of his goal to clear a bouncing ball, but the referee dangerously caught former West Ham forward Ener Valencia with the high boot.
However, VAR after reviewing the incident reduced Alison’s penalty to a yellow card and was allowed to remain on the field.
Then a dramatic end in stop time saw Alisson stumble the ball and bump into Angelo Precido in his attempts to retrieve it.
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The referee pointed to the spot and sent it off for the second time in the match.
But replays showed that Alison had reached the ball before making contact with Precido.
And after a VAR review the Brazilian’s dismissal was canceled once again as he remained on the pitch to watch the final whistle.
All these crazy scenes came after Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro gave Brazil the lead in the sixth minute.
Aston Villa debutant Philippe Coutinho was dismissed in the 32nd minute when both teams were reduced to 10 men.
And Casemiro’s opening strike was set to hand the five-time World Cup winners all three points.
But Felix Torres equalized for the hosts in the 75th minute and scored a crucial point in his attempt to qualify for the World Cup.
Brazil, who have already booked their place in Qatar, are seven points away from Argentina at the top of the table.
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Tite’s team is unbeaten in 14 qualifiers – 11 wins and three draws.
Meanwhile, Ecuador is seven points ahead of fourth-placed Colombia and is almost certain to qualify for the World Cup later this year.
The last time they reached the final was in 2014 when they were eliminated in the group stage.
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