Long considered a punch line because of his poor form at Arsenal, Gervinho became the puncher at Ivory Coast's African Nations Cup opener vs. Guinea on Tuesday.
After a nasty foul by Naby Keita, Gervinho responded with a strike of his own, arguably better than any he managed at the Emirates.
It seems unfair to mock Gervinho given some fine form this season for AS Roma, but this foolish decision cost Ivory Coast a winning start to the tournament: Guinea led 1-0 at the time thanks to Mohamed Yattara's 36th-minute strike, and Gervinho was Ivory Coast's best player prior to his dismissal.
But Seydou Doumbia leveled in the 72nd minute to earn the Elephants a point. Up next: a tricky tie with Mali on Saturday.