Jacy's Unforgettable Celebration Turns into Misadventure

For a few wild seconds at the Couto Pereira, Jacy Maranhao was the hero.

The Coritiba centre-back, 29 years old and not exactly accustomed to the spotlight, rose to meet a cross and powered in a header against Chapecoense in Brazil’s top flight, putting his side 1-0 up in the 41st minute. A rare goal for a defender, a crucial moment in the match, a stadium ready to explode.

Then the night took a surreal turn.

Jacy tore away towards the stands, sprinting straight for the home fans. Adrenaline did the rest. He hurdled the advertising boards in one exuberant leap, disappearing from sight as if swallowed by the stadium itself.

He had not landed in the arms of supporters. He had dropped straight into a tunnel leading down to the away dressing room.

For a moment, nobody seemed quite sure where he had gone. The cameras lost him. Team-mates peered over the hoarding. The celebration had literally gone off a cliff.

Jacy eventually emerged, climbing out gingerly, the rush of the goal replaced by a sharp, unwelcome pain in his ankle. The defender tried to continue, but the damage was done. What should have been the highlight of his season had left him limping.

To make matters worse, the technology stepped in. VAR reviewed the goal and ruled it out, wiping his name off the scoresheet in a match Coritiba would still go on to win 2-1. The crowd’s roar became a groan. The moment vanished, the injury did not.

Shortly after half-time, Jacy had to come off, his night ending on the bench instead of in the headlines.

“I twisted my foot there. It’s a bit sore, but I’m fine,” he said afterwards, taking the chaos with a shrug. For a centre-back, the chance to celebrate is rare enough that logic often gets left behind. “Centre-backs hardly ever score goals. So when you do score ... I just got carried away.”

The Couto Pereira, remarkably, has seen this movie before. In 2014, Cameroon striker Joel also launched himself over the barriers in celebration and tumbled into the same passageway during Coritiba’s 3-1 win over Sao Paulo. Different year, different player, same hidden trap.

Coritiba escaped with the points this time. Jacy escaped with a sore ankle and a story that will follow him for the rest of his career.

Next time he scores, he might just think twice before taking flight.