Ex-Man Utd star Memphis Depay sparks mass brawl with cheeky trick as FOUR red cards are handed out in derby clash
BRAZILIAN football lived up to its typically feisty and manic reputation as Corinthians won their first title in SIX YEARS.
Former Manchester United star Memphis Depay was involved in sparking a mass brawl during his side’s 1-0 aggregate win over rivals Palmeiras.
A hectic second leg saw FOUR red cards and 13 yellows dished out to players and coaching staff over the course of the match.
Corinthians had taken a 1-0 lead into the second leg, defending a goal advantage at home to win the title and putting up a fight to do so.
That lead was almost thrown away when Palmerias were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute following a rash tackle by Felix Torres.
The 28-year-old went straight through the back of Vitor Roque and the referee had no choice but to point to the spot.
Unbelievably, Torres got away without being booked, having already seen yellow in the first half – sending Palmerias manager Abel Ferreira into a meltdown on the touchdown over no red card being shown.
Ironically, Ferreira’s fuming outburst saw him shown red by the referee instead.
To make matters worse, Palmeiras captain Raphael Veiga missed the spot kick and Corinthians stayed in front.
Boss Ferreira was soon vindicated though, as Torres was shown a second yellow card just five minutes later for another shocking tackle on Roque.
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From there, Corinthians were doing everything they could to hold on to their lead and run down the clock – including time-wasting tactics.
That saw Depay try and pull off a little bit of showboating by the corner flag to tick things along, but instead his showy trick caused a mass brawl as tempers boiled over.
Depay, who joined the Brazilian league in September, balanced on the ball to prevent the opposition defender from nicking it off him.
The former Barcelona star was shoved off the ball as a result and a mass brawl between both sets of players ensued.
Players from both sides and the substitutes warming up on the sidelines came together in a moment of madness.
While the crowd inside the Corinthians Arena sparked into life at the sight of the fracas.
The quarrel was subsequently reviewed by VAR, resulting in Palmeiras substitute goalkeeper Marcelo Lomba and Corinthians midfielder Jose Martinez, who had already been substituted, being shown red cards.
Over 18 minutes of additional time were added by the officials at the end of the game, but Corinthians ultimately got over the line to keep the score to 0-0 on the night to win their first title in six years.