Jacy Maranhao fell down a tunnel while jumping an advertising board to celebrate his disallowed goal
The Coritiba defender twisted his ankle and was substituted shortly after half-time
VAR ruled out his header, but Coritiba still beat Chapecoense 2-1 in the Brazilian top flight
Football celebrations are usually about sprinting towards the fans, sliding on the turf or performing a rehearsed routine. Jacy Maranhao managed something far more dramatic, and entirely unplanned, during Coritiba’s Brazilian top-flight clash with Chapecoense.
The 29-year-old defender thought he had doubled Coritiba’s lead shortly before half-time when he headed the ball into the net. Caught up in the moment, Jacy grabbed the ball, raced towards the advertising boards and vaulted over them to celebrate with the home supporters.
What happened next left everyone inside the Estádio Major Antônio Couto Pereira stunned. Instead of landing safely among the fans, Jacy disappeared into an opening behind the boards. The section was actually a tunnel leading towards the away dressing room, which had been left uncovered as half-time approached.
His teammates quickly rushed over as the defender climbed back out of the opening. Jacy received treatment and, remarkably, managed to continue until the break. However, the fall had taken its toll, and he was replaced shortly after the second half began.
The Goal Wasn't Even Going to Count
The incident became even more bizarre moments later. Jacy's header, which he had celebrated as though it had put Coritiba 2-0 ahead, was reviewed by VAR and ruled out for offside. So the defender had effectively risked injury celebrating a goal that never made it onto the scoresheet.
Jacy later played down the injury, saying he had twisted his foot and was experiencing some soreness but was otherwise fine. He admitted that scoring as a centre-back is unusual enough to make emotions take over.
“I just got carried away,” he explained after the incident.
The strange episode did not stop Coritiba from getting the result. They eventually defeated Chapecoense 2-1, with Tiago Coser and Pedro Rocha providing the goals that secured the victory.
There was also an eerie sense of déjà vu at the stadium. Jacy was not the first player to discover the hazard behind those advertising boards. In 2014, Coritiba striker Joel reportedly suffered a remarkably similar fall while celebrating against Sao Paulo.
This time, however, the sequence was almost impossible to script: a defender scores, launches himself towards the crowd, disappears down a tunnel, returns injured, and then discovers VAR has erased the goal.
Football, sometimes, really does write its own funny stories.
