Vinicius Jr's yellow card was a silly thing. It was the seventh minute of Brazil's Copa America group stage fixture with Colombia, and the electric winger was one booking away from being suspended for the knockouts. That was when Vinicius made a mistake. He raised his arm towards the face of James Rodriguez, challenging for a loose ball. Contact was minimal, but the experienced Colombian midfielder sold it expertly, flinging himself to the ground. The referee was always going to reach into his pocket - and rule Vinicius out for a must-win elimination fixture.
That, in turn, leaves the Selecao without their most apparent attacking threat against a dangerous Uruguay side in Saturday night's Copa America quarterfinal in Las Vegas. And it couldn't have come at a worse time. While Vinicius hadn't exactly set the world alight during the group phase, he remains a dynamic attacker - one of the world's best.
The players around him, though, have fallen flat.
And Rodrygo is perhaps the biggest culprit. Vinicius' Real Madrid teammate has been near-anonymous across Brazil's three group games, failing to register a goal or assist in the tournament. Such has been the case for much of his Brazil career, an immense talent who has yet to make it happen for his country. That has to change - and soon. With Vinicius sidelined, Rodrygo simply has to step up.