Man United flop sparks huge on-pitch brawl after last-minute showboating for new club against their bitter rivals
A former Manchester United forward found himself at the centre of a mass brawl during a league final in Brazil.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Corinthians played host to Palmeiras in the second leg of the final of the Campeonato Paulista, the highest level of league football in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.
After a 1-0 victory in the first leg last weekend, Corinthians just needed to keep the game goalless in the final stages to secure their record-extending 31st title, and their first since 2019.
As the clock ran down, Memphis Depay – who joined the Brazilian club from Atletico Madrid in September – received the ball in the corner from a short free kick.
Seemingly not content with simply shielding the ball from an onrushing defender, the Dutch international proceeded to stand on it with both feet in a brazen display of showboating.
The move only served to infuriate the opposition players, with two Palmeiras stars crunching into challenge Depay, knocking him over in the process.
Memphis Depay sparked a huge melee as Corinthians claimed the Campeonato Paulista
The Dutch international stepped on the ball with both feet in the closing seconds of the game
And within seconds a mass brawl had broken out around the corner flag involving stars from both teams.
There was much pushing and shoving between players and substitutes for both teams, with Depay seen tussling ammong the melee.
The brawl continued for several minutes and added to what was an already ill-tempered and dramatic clash between the two arch-rivals.
Corinthians defender Felix Torres had already been dismissed for two yellow cards, while Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira was also dismissed, shortly before Raphael Veiga missed a penalty to level the tie for his side.
The brawl only continued the drama, with the officials quickly responding by sending off Corinthians midfielder Jose Martinez and veteran Palmeiras goalkeeper Marcelo Lomba for their involvement in the ensuing melee.
This was despite neither Martinez or Lomba being on the pitch at the time of the incident.
When order was eventually restored, Corinthians held onto their aggregate lead in the closing seconds to claim the title.
The trophy marks the third league title of Depay’s career, nearly a decade after his failed stint at Old Trafford.
After earning admirers from across the footballing world for his form in his native Netherlands for PSV, United beat off competition from the likes of PSG to sign Depay in the summer of 2015 on a four-year deal.
However, his time in the Premier League would ultimately come to an end just 18 months later with Depay joining French side Lyon after falling out of favour at United.
