VIDEO: Sofyan Amrabat receives two red cards during Morocco’s AFCON last-16 loss to South Africa. The Manchester United midfielder is summoned back to the field due to VAR uncertainty.

Sofyan Amrabat of Manchester United had an awful night made worse when he was sent off twice in the last seconds of Morocco’s unexpected AFCON elimination.

In injury time of their match against South Africa in the round of 16, the Atlas Lions were behind 1-0, and the midfielder was given a second yellow card for tripping Teboho Mokoena. Referee Mahmood Ismail was summoned to the video screen to evaluate the incident, which caused confusion and left Morocco and Amrabat hoping that the yellow card may be revoked.

When the referee brought Amrabat back to revoke the caution and raise it to a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, he was already heading toward the tunnel.

Man Utd's Sofyan Amrabat was sent off for a second yellow…

But VAR intervened to make his day even worse 👀 #BBCFootball #AFCON pic.twitter.com/IcyRtx4z6e

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 30, 2024

Morocco expressed frustration about a delay that effectively resulted in the same decision and, given that yellow cards are still beyond the purview of VAR, would not have rescued Amrabat. Their disappointment was increased when Mokoena smashed the subsequent free kick past Bono to complete an incredible 2-0 victory for South Africa and a surprising departure for the top-ranked country in Africa, who had a chance to tie the score when Achraf Hakimi’s penalty struck the crossbar in the 85th minute.

The Atlas Lions will need to gather themselves following their shocking setback on Tuesday night. Their performance at the World Cup in Qatar, when they advanced to the semi-finals and became the first African team to do so, will seem a long way off after they were the most well-known team to fail to qualify for the AFCON.

Amrabat moved on loan from Fiorentina to United after excelling in Qatar, but he still has to persuade Old Trafford’s restructured recruitment department to make the transfer permanent.