‘A scare’: Brazil player leaps into tunnel in joy over goal

Brazilian footballer Jacy Maranhao experienced a moment of extreme exuberance during a match against Chapecoense on Saturday, leaping over a barrier and disappearing into a stadium tunnel in celebration of a goal. The unusual celebration quickly went viral, capturing widespread attention.

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When I jumped… you know that feeling when you dream you’re falling from a building? That’s what it was like.

Maranhao, captain and defender for the Coritiba club, had scored what he believed was a crucial goal. In his excitement, he jumped over the pitch perimeter and down an opening to stairs leading to the locker rooms. Video footage shows him emerging from the tunnel afterward, stumbling slightly before rejoining his teammates. However, the celebration was short-lived as the goal was subsequently ruled offside by VAR.

Despite the disallowed goal, Maranhao expressed that he had gotten "carried away," noting that defenders do not score frequently. He intended to celebrate with his pregnant wife but had misjudged the location of the tunnel access, which was on the opposite side of the advertising boards. He described the sensation of falling into the tunnel as akin to dreaming of falling from a building.

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At first it was more of a scare than anything else. During the match my foot was quite painful and I couldn’t really put weight on it, but today I’m feeling much better and recovering well.

While Maranhao experienced pain in his foot and was substituted in the second half, his team Coritiba ultimately won the match 2-1. He reported on social media that he is recovering well and that the incident was "more of a scare than anything else." This is not the first time such a mishap has occurred at the Couto Pereira Stadium; Cameroonian striker Joel Tagueu famously fell into the tunnel while celebrating a goal for Coritiba in 2014.

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defenders don’t score many goals.