A match between Cruzeiro and Atlético Mineiro descended into chaos on Sunday, as a late clash between two players sparked a brawl that ended with 23 total red cards shown.
With just seconds remaining in the game, Atlético goalkeeper Éverson saved a shot and saw Cruzeiro midfielder Christian collide with him as he was chasing the rebound.
Éverson took exception to Christian’s efforts, immediately knocking the midfielder over and putting his knees into his face while he was on the ground.
That action sparked a violent confrontation between players on the two Brazilian sides, with both benches emptying and punches and kicks flying.
Footage online showed Atlético forward Hulk punching an opponent in the back of the head, and then getting kicked in the chest.
In the end, military police and stadium security were needed to put down the massive brawl.
Cruzeiro ended up winning 1-0 in the Campeonato Mineiro final, seeing the Belo Horizonte side become champion of the state of Minas Gerais.
Cruzeiro also ended up with one more red card than its opponent, seeing 12 players sent off, while Atletico earned 11 red cards.
After the game, Hulk apologized for his role in the brawl but also blamed the referee for the incident.
‘I don’t recall participating in any act of violence during a football match,’ he added. ‘I will never tire of apologizing. We try to calm things down, but when your blood is hot, you see a teammate being attacked, and you automatically react. But it could have been avoided.’