Jacy's VAR-Disallowed Celebration Disaster

There are goal celebrations you remember for the joy. And there are ones you remember because everything that could go wrong, did.

At the Couto Pereira Stadium, Coritiba defender Jacy Maranhao lived the second kind.

With Coritiba 1-0 up against Chapecoense in the Brazilian top flight and the clock ticking towards half-time, the 29-year-old centre-back rose to meet a cross and headed the ball in. A rare moment. As he later pointed out, centre-backs don’t score often.

The release was instant. Jacy sprinted towards the stands, adrenaline surging, and launched himself over the advertising boards to celebrate with the home fans.

Then he vanished.

On the other side of the hoarding sat the tunnel leading down to the away dressing room. Jacy cleared the boards, but not the drop. One second he was roaring in front of the torcida, the next he was gone from view, swallowed by the gap.

He eventually clambered out, slowly and carefully, but the damage was done. He had twisted his ankle in the fall and played on only until shortly after half-time before Coritiba were forced to substitute him.

To make matters worse, the moment that sparked it all didn’t even stand. VAR stepped in, the goal was ruled out, and Jacy was left with nothing to show for his wild leap but a sore foot and a story that will follow him for the rest of his career.

“I twisted my foot there. It’s a bit sore, but I’m fine,” he said afterwards, trying to play down the incident. Then came the line that summed it all up: “Centre-backs hardly ever score goals. So when you do score ... I just got carried away.”

Coritiba still found a way to win, edging Chapecoense 2-1, yet the image that will travel far beyond the result is of a defender disappearing behind an advertising board in mid-celebration.

And in Curitiba, it all felt oddly familiar.

The Couto Pereira has seen this slapstick scene before. In 2014, during Coritiba’s 3-1 victory over Sao Paulo, Cameroon striker Joel also cleared the barriers in celebration and dropped straight down the same passageway. Different year, different player, same unforgiving gap.

Two players, two falls, the same stadium tunnel waiting just beyond the boards. You wonder how many more celebrations it will take before someone finally closes that hole.