Marcello Lippi Angrily Invades Pitch When Two Guangzhou Players Are Sent Off

Over the past three decades of his managerial career, Marcello Lippi has shown a few glimpses of touchline fury.

On Tuesday, the Guangzhou Evergrande coach let his emotions spill out on to the pitch as he vented at the referee during a 1-0 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers.

With two minutes left on the clock in the Asian Champions League quarter-final first leg, defender Zhang Linpeng was shown a straight red card for elbowing an opponent.

Two minutes later, midfielder Gao Lin was also given an instant dismissal, prompting the World Cup-winning manager to storm on to the field to remonstrate with referee Mohammad Abdulla Hassan Mohamed. 

The 66-year-old and his staff eventually returned to the sidelines, but the Italian remained incensed by what he perceived to be playacting from his opponents and leniency towards the home side from the officials.

The Guardian quotes his post-match press conference: 

"

The first one I didn't see very well but the second one was right in front of me and was not a red card.

You know me from the World Cup and the Champions League, I am not like this, I am an educated man. I know I shouldn't go on the pitch but I just wanted to ask him to explain his decision.

"

The Guardian also notes that Lippi's press conference concluded with him standing and shouting in Italian so furiously that neither his English nor Mandarin translators could keep up.