On October 8, 2000 Trinidad and Tobago contested a World Cup qualification match against Mexico. The match was played on Mexico City on the Estadio Azteca and the referee was Carlos Batros Gonzalez. On the 72nd minute, Elcock slide tackled Blanco hitting him on the knee as he received the ball on the penalty box. Referee Gonzalez determined the tackle to be of excessive force and called for a penalty and ejected Elcock by showing him a direct red card, even though Elcock had previously received a yellow in the game. The penalty was taken and scored by Victor Ruiz resulting in the final score of the game 7-0 in favor of Mexico. Many football analysts point this incident as the moment that all aspirations of Blanco becoming a greater star in Spain and world football as diminished for Blanco never fully recovered.