Celebrations are par for the course during football matches. One has seen players running into the stands, and one has also witnessed stars removing their jerseys after scoring a goal for their respective teams. But have you ever seen a player falling into a tunnel in the middle of his celebration? Well, well, that happened recently. A Brazilian defender, Jacy Maranhao, while playing for Coritiba, was made to endure a bizarre twist to his goal celebration. The cameras picked him jumping over the advertising boards and accidentally falling into a tunnel at the Couto Pereira Stadium.
The incident happened when the 29-year-old centre-back gave Coritiba what appeared to be a 1-0 lead against Chapecoense in the Brazilian top-flight competition after he headed the ball into the net in the 41st minute. Caught up in the excitement of scoring, Jacy then sprinted towards the supporters and leapt over the advertising hoardings.
However, Jacy disappeared from view after falling into a passageway leading towards the away team's dressing room. The defender eventually managed to climb out, but the incident left him nursing an ankle injury. Despite the setback, Jacy initially attempted to continue. He was eventually replaced shortly after half-time as the injury prevented him from carrying on.
Reflecting on the unusual incident, Jacy admitted that the excitement of scoring had taken over. "I twisted my foot there. It's a bit sore, but I'm fine," he said.
The defender also explained why he had become so carried away by the moment.
"Centre-backs hardly ever score goals. So when you do score, I just got carried away," Jacy said.
There was an additional sting to the incident. Jacy's header did not ultimately count, with the goal overturned following a VAR review. Coritiba, however, still managed to secure the points, eventually beating Chapecoense 2-1.
For Jacy, what began as one of the biggest moments of his match quickly turned into an unwanted trip down the tunnel. With the goal eventually ruled out and an ankle injury forcing him off, the defender's celebration proved considerably more memorable than the header itself.
The unusual celebration has also added another chapter to a strange history at the Couto Pereira Stadium. Jacy is not the first player to discover the hazard beyond the advertising boards while celebrating a Coritiba goal.
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More
