Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has been handed a four-match ban following his sending off against Udiense on Sunday, via FourFourTwo.
Higuain, 28, has been unstoppable in front of goal this season but tempers boiled over in their surprise 3-1 defeat to Udiense and the Argentina international was shown a second yellow for an off-the-ball incident deep into the second half.
Serie A’s leading goalscorer was furious with the decision before demonstrating his anger towards the referee and several Udinese players before being helped off the pitch by several of his teammates.
It was Higuain’s first dismissal in a club match since being shown two yellows for Real Madrid in a 4-1 win over Sevilla in February 2013 and the resulting four-match ban has all but ended Napoli’s sensational title challenge.
It was only their fourth defeat of the season, but it leaves them six points adrift of leaders Juventus and without a striker who has scored nearly half of their goals for matches against Verona, Inter, Bologna and Roma.
The ban will also be of personal disappointment for Higuain, who is now unlikely to finish the season as the top goalscorer in Europe’s top five leagues. He is currently level with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (30), but he is likely to be behind by the time he suspension is over.
For more stats on Gonzalo Higuain, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
