Coritiba captain Jacy Maranhao sustained an ankle injury after leaping through a trap door and falling down a stairwell during a goal celebration in his team's 2-1 victory over Chapecoense on Saturday. The incident occurred at Estadio Couto Pereira, where Maranhao, 29, had just scored what he described as his first goal at the venue.
"I scored the goal and wanted to celebrate with my wife because she’s pregnant," Maranhao told Brazilian outlet Globo, according to reports. "But then I remembered it was my first goal at Couto Pereira stadium, and I also wanted to celebrate with the fans, but I hadn’t remembered there was a moat there."
He described the fall as feeling like "when you dream you’re falling from a building." Maranhao jumped over the pitch perimeter and fell into an opening that leads to the locker rooms. His goal was subsequently disallowed after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review determined he was offside.
Despite the injury, Maranhao continued playing for the remainder of the first half before being substituted after the break. He reported his foot was "a bit sore" but stated he was "fine." He added that he "just got carried away."
This is not the first time a player has fallen through a similar opening at the stadium. In 2014, striker Joel also fell down the same stairwell after scoring in a match.