"I wouldn't take that if I were you..." — Di María, probably.
Ángel Di María's Rosario Central took home their first win of their 2025-26 league campaign with a dramatic and tightly contested 1-0 away victory over Lanús on Saturday, with Di María once again at the heart of the action — and controversy.
It's for Ángel Di María since his return to Argentina pic.twitter.com/z2ZS8UmcGT
— 433 (@433) July 19, 2025
After 70 minutes of goalless tension, the breakthrough came via a penalty awarded to Rosario Central. The decision immediately sparked outrage among Lanús players, none more vocal than their veteran captain, Carlos Izquierdoz.
As tempers flared, Izquierdoz confronted the referee in a heated matter that went well beyond typical protests.
In a moment that quickly went viral on social media, Di María — standing close by — reacted with a visibly shocked expression, seemingly in response to an inappropriate insult made by Izquierdoz.
After a reciprocal look between Di María and the referee, the official didn’t hesitate and pulled out a straight red card, sending the Lanús captain off, much to the dismay of the home crowd. He did not tolerate the disrespect.
Di Maria looked at the referee like "oof, you wouldn't hear me saying that" and Izquierdoz is immediately shown a red card lol.pic.twitter.com/Oi8U2x7R3y
— toto (@totoscrib) July 20, 2025
The penalty responsibility naturally fell to Di María, and the 2022 World Cup winner calmly converted from the spot — scoring in back-to-back matches and securing all three points for his boyhood club.
¡¡GOL DE ROSARIO CENTRAL EN LA FORTALEZA ANTE LANÚS!! ¡¡SIEMPRE FIDEO DI MARÍA!!
ESPN Premium | Suscribite al Pack Fútbol en https://t.co/7jYILYACXi pic.twitter.com/3KEyG1U7n6— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) July 19, 2025
Di María returned to Rosario Central this summer after 18 years of playing in Europe.
