Hulk Among Players Sent Off After Massive Brawl

Brazilian football witnessed absolute chaos as 23 red cards were handed out in a single match. Yes, 23. And this wasn’t some random lower-league game, it happened in a clash between two of the country’s biggest clubs.

The chaos unfolded during the Campeonato Mineiro final between Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro. What started as a tense match eventually turned into a full-blown fight between players. And yes, Hulk was involved, not the Avengers one, but the Brazilian striker who was once heavily linked with a move to the Premier League during his prime.

The match itself had been decided earlier. Kaio Jorge scored the only goal in Belo Horizonte as Cruzeiro, managed by former Brazil coach Tite, beat Atletico Mineiro 1-0. The victory crowned Cruzeiro champions of the Minas Gerais state championship for the first time since 2019.

A mass brawl broke out in stoppage time, forcing security staff and even military police to step in to control the situation. The incident began when Atletico goalkeeper Everson pushed Cruzeiro midfielder Christian to the ground and placed his knee on his chest after the two collided while chasing a loose ball.

Christian’s teammates rushed in immediately, confronting Everson and shoving him into the goalpost. That sparked a larger clash as more players from both teams joined the scuffle while security personnel tried to separate them.

Interestingly, referee Matheus Delgado Candancan did not show any red cards during the match itself. According to Brazilian outlet Globo, the fight became so chaotic that the referee couldn’t manage the dismissals on the pitch. Instead, the punishments were handed out later.

Cruzeiro had 12 players dismissed, including goalscorer Kaio Jorge. Atletico Mineiro had 11 players sent off, among them former Brazil international Hulk and ex-Atletico Madrid and Nottingham Forest full-back Renan Lodi.

The highest number of red cards in a senior football match remains 36. That happened in Argentina in 2011 during a fifth-division game between Atletico Claypole and Victoriano Arenas, when the referee sent off every single player involved after what he described as a “generalised brawl.”

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