Coritiba defender Jacy Maranhao suffered an ankle injury in unusual circumstances after falling into a stadium passageway while celebrating a goal that was later ruled out.
The 29-year-old thought he had extended Coritiba’s advantage against Chapecoense in their Brazilian top-flight clash, heading the ball into the net in the 41st minute with his team already leading 1-0.
Jacy immediately ran towards the supporters to celebrate and jumped over the advertising boards at the side of the pitch. However, instead of landing safely near the stands, he disappeared into an open tunnel leading towards the away dressing room at the Couto Pereira Stadium.
The defender managed to climb back out but had hurt his ankle in the fall. His celebration soon became even more costly when VAR intervened and the goal was disallowed.
Jacy initially continued playing but was unable to complete the match, with Coritiba replacing him shortly after half-time because of the injury.
Despite the bizarre setback, Coritiba went on to secure a 2-1 victory over Chapecoense.
Jacy later explained that the excitement of finding the net had prompted the unusual celebration. As a centre-back who does not regularly get scoring opportunities, he allowed the moment to get the better of him before discovering the hidden drop beyond the advertising boards.
Remarkably, the incident was not unprecedented at Coritiba’s home ground.
In 2014, Cameroon striker Joel was involved in a similar mishap at the Couto Pereira Stadium. He also jumped over the barriers during a celebration and fell into the passageway during Coritiba’s 3-1 victory against Sao Paulo.
More than a decade later, the same feature of the stadium has produced another memorable celebration for all the wrong reasons.