Just when it looked like Switzerland was taking control of the quarterfinal tie against Argentina at the World Cup, the Swiss striker played with fire and burned his team’s chances of getting something out of the game. Although the red card of Breel Embolo brewed some controversy, a former USMNT legend drew an analogy to a speeding ticket scenario and explained how everything unfolded fairly.

“When you get pulled over for speeding, and you tell the officer that everyone else is speeding,” Alexi Lalas compared Embolo’s red-card situation to a driver who tested the officer’s resolve on his State of the Union podcast.

“Soccer has this embellishment or diving problem, and it should be dealt with. In this case, it was actually dealt with. Embolo got exactly what he deserved. He was already on a yellow card, and in that moment, he decided to tempt fate. He decided to speed; if you’re my analogy, he got pulled over,” Lalas mentioned, and he was sure that Embolo’s punishment was right.

Switzerland scored in the 67th minute through Dan Ndoye to make it 1-1 after playing on the back foot for the majority of the game. They started attacking with swagger, but just two minutes later, Embolo seemingly went down after a coming together with Leandro Paredes. The referee, Joao Pinheiro, booked Paredes after looking at Embolo, who was reeling on the ground.

But VAR quickly intervened to let the referee know that the identity was mistaken. When Pinheiro went to the pitchside monitor, he saw Embolo dive without any contact from Paredes. It was a clear case of simulation that warranted a yellow card. After initially picking up a yellow card in the 44th minute, the second yellow card after the VAR check resulted in a red card for Embolo.

“He’s got no one to blame but himself, and it’s clear-cut when you look at the VAR replay. I have very little sympathy for Switzerland and Embolo in that moment. He got what he ultimately deserved,” Lalas concluded.

Embolo’s choice to dive when his team was having the upper hand baffled the team and the fans in the stadium as Switzerland managed to take the game to extra time. Despite their resolute defending, they conceded twice in the second period of extra time as Argentina ran out 3-1 winners to punch their ticket to the last four of the World Cup and set up a meeting with England.

While many, including Lalas, saw no reason to sympathize with Embolo, Switzerland’s head coach, Murat Yakin, believed the call ended his team’s chances.

“We were punished because of a rule that is unacceptable. I don’t understand it. The fact that they intervened unnecessarily is extremely hurtful. It’s a rule that has nothing to do with football. It destroyed our game today,” he said in the post-match press conference.

However, there was precedent to this rule at the same World Cup, as Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron was booked for simulation after a VAR check, as the referee, Danny Makkelie, initially booked the USA defender Tim Ream during the USA-Paraguay group stage clash.

As much as the result might hurt Yakin, Switzerland, and Embolo will have plenty of time to think of the action that ended their chances at the World Cup.