Watch: Marcelo Diaz picks up 2nd booking after colliding with Lionel Messi

A Brazilian referee didn't hesitate to give Argentina a boost at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

In the first half of the Copa America Centenario's final between Argentina and Chile, Marcelo Diaz became the physical fixture's first casualty, picking up his second yellow card in only the 28th minute after he collided with Lionel Messi, who had just proved he was human by overhitting a pass to Angel Di Maria.

Coincidentally, Diaz's first yellow card came after he hacked Messi in the 17th minute, resulting in a 35-yard free-kick that the Argentinian phenom curled into Claudio Bravo's hands.

Diaz's expulsion marks the fastest in a Copa America final since 1987, when Chile's Eduardo Gomez was sent off in the 14th minute and Uruguay's Enzo Francescoli was issued a red card in the 27th minute.