Flamengo’s victory against Criciúma was marked by the bizarre and unusual penalty awarded in the 39th minute of the second half, when a second ball was thrown onto the field and kicked by the athlete from the Santa Catarina club against the ball that was at stake. Hours after the match, those responsible for making the ball return to the field appeared on social networks and are being called heroes.
Brothers Edinho Alves and Erik Victor are Flamengo fans and residents of Brasília. This was Erik’s first time watching the club live and the brothers say that they were almost in another place:
“I bought the ticket right at the bottom to see Gabigol, Arrascaeta, De la Cruz up close… We went to the stadium a little late, so I didn’t expect it to arrive and be able to stay down there. We came running, cutting everyone, and I stayed up there at first. My brother went downstairs to see if there was room and found two. Then just before the goal play, I don’t know if it was Arrascaeta who kicked, the ball ended up there, came down and stopped in our hand”, Edinho told Globoesporte.
Ball was not thrown on purpose
Edinho also explained how the ball ended up inside the field of play, stating that someone slapped the ball, escaping his hand:
“The whole crowd around wanting to take it, we took a picture and I lifted it up to celebrate. Then someone slapped him, and the ball ended up there on the field. The crowd didn’t like it because it hindered Flamengo’s attack and started booing. After the penalty kick came out, everyone started shouting: “Hero, hero!””, added Edinho.
On social media, a video was shared showing the moment. It is not possible to see the slap, only the ball going towards the pitch and fans protesting:
I saved my mengo today 😂😂😂❤️ pic.twitter.com/Jhh6ICGv4Y
— No Flow BR (@noflow_br) July 20, 2024
Remember the play:
In the 39th minute of the second half, the ball that was with the brothers ended up returning to the field of play, when Barreto, an athlete from Criciúma, kicked the second ball against the ball that was in play, which resulted in a penalty for Flamengo.
After the match, Barreto declared that he did the action instinctively and that he wanted to signal to the referee of the match the presence of two balls on the field of play. The athlete also stated that at no time did he want to harm Criciúma or his teammates.
