The player with the white jersey and the number four trudged towards the outside line with bowed head and quick steps.

Over and over.

After a red card, he had to leave the field.

That happens again and again on every game day around the world.

The scene from Norwegian football was nevertheless particularly bizarre.

The fact that David Brekalo was sent off was not only due to his misconduct, but also to the first-class show performance of his goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson.

He provoked the red card against his teammate with a skilful swallow in the 3-2 away win in the first division game of his club Viking Stavanger at Kristiansund BK.

After a dangerous cross from the hosts in the closing stages, the keeper and defender initially insulted each other before the 22-year-old Slovene Brekalo nudged his Icelandic colleague twice in the chest.

On the second push, Gunnarsson, who was one year younger, went down as if struck by lightning - and Brekalo had to leave the field in the 96th minute.

Regarding the rules, the referee acted correctly.

It makes no difference whether someone misbehaves towards an opponent or a teammate.

The Verdens Gang newspaper called the incident “bizarre”.

Gunnarsson said he called Brekalo to clear the ball.

Thereupon this attacked him.

“Arguing with a teammate is part of it.

But we shouldn't attack each other physically, ”he told the Aftenbladet newspaper.

“It wasn't nice for us as a club,” admitted coach Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim.

The two fighters had meanwhile shaken hands and apologized to their teammates.

Goalkeeper Gunnarsson is on loan from English Premier League club Brentford until the end of the year.

The Slovenian Brekalo came from his home country to the club in Norway in the summer.

The game was dramatic enough without the odd punch line.

Kristiansund took the lead twice, Stavanger twice, most recently in the 88th minute with a penalty from Veton Berisha, who also played for Greuther Fürth in Germany from 2015 to 2017.

Then Stavanger even scored 3-2 in the 94th minute before Kristiansund pushed for the equalizer.

Then there was a commotion in the penalty area.