Bel Horizonte, Brazil — The final of the Minas Gerais state championship in Brazil between Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro ended in a scandalous brawl. According to the Argentine News Agency, with full time played, goalkeeper Everson saved a low shot and was hit in the head by winger Christian, who tried to pounce on the rebound and did not slow down, causing a hard impact with the goalkeeper. Everson, still in control of the ball, knocked the rival forward down and began to insult him from centimeters away, which led to the arrival of the rest of the Cruzeiro players to defend their teammate and, consequently, the subsequent arrival of the Atlético Mineiro players. What began with shoving ended with punches, kicks, and grappling in an all-against-all brawl that security forces at the stadium tried to stop without success. Spreading across the entire pitch, one of the most intense fights took place in the middle of the field and was protagonized by Argentine defender Lucas Villalba and the bulky forward Hulk, with the Argentine kicking the Brazilian in the head, who responded with a hammer blow that impacted the former Argentinos Juniors player in the neck until they could be separated. Beyond the terrible image with which the match was sentenced, Cruzeiro was crowned champion with a 1-0 victory, thanks to the goal from forward Kaio Jorge, and added the thirty-ninth state championship of its history, the first since its last conquest in 2019.
