At the final whistle at the Mineirão, players from cruzeiro and Atlético-MG collided into a chaotic melee: punches, kicks and scenes that left the referee’s match report confirming 23 expulsions after the confusion that erupted at the end of the game.
What does the official match report say?
The match report by Matheus Candançan, referee (SP), details a sequence of violent actions that triggered a general fight. The document describes an initial incident involving goalkeeper Everson and midfielder Christian and quotes the referee’s findings: “After receiving a foul, [the goalkeeper] knocked down his opponent, moved towards him and, with brutality, struck with the knee the face of his opponent number 88. I clarify that after this action a general fight began, making it impossible to present the red card. “
The report goes on to describe Christian’s action: “For striking with the shin the head of his opponent number 22, using excessive force and high intensity, when the ball was already in the possession of the goalkeeper. I clarify that after this action a general fight began, making it impossible to present the red card. “
For many of the other expulsions the referee used a similar formulation: “Expelled for, during the general fight, after the termination of the match, delivering and striking with punches and kicks their opponents, it was not possible to present the red card due to the tumult. ” The arbitration document was released in the early hours following the match and lists all players shown red cards.
Who received red cards — and what actions triggered them?
The match report names 23 players who were expelled. The list in the arbitration document includes:
- Cássio
- Fagner
- Fabrício Bruno
- João Marcelo
- Villalba
- Kauã Prates
- Christian
- Lucas Romero
- Matheus Henrique
- Walace
- Gerson
- Kaio Jorge
- Everson
- Gabriel
- Delfim
- Preciado
- Lyanco
- Ruan Tressoldi
- Junior Alonso
- Renan Lodi
- Alan Franco
- Alan Minda
- Cassierra
- Hulk
The match record reconstructs several specific moments: the clash began after a collision between Christian and the goalkeeper Everson in the penalty area. Everson pushed Christian and then kneeled with both knees on him while the opponent was still on the ground, injured. That act prompted multiple Cruzeiro players to rush toward the goalkeeper and precipitated a wider brawl.
The report notes that Lucas Romero delivered a flying kick to Everson after Everson had already been hit by Matheus Henrique. Christian punched Lyanco and then received a flying kick from Junior Alonso. Goalkeeper Cássio attempted to confront Lyanco but was restrained. Lyanco later exchanged punches with Gerson and took a kick from the Cruzeiro goalkeeper. Hulk was also heavily involved: he received flying kicks from Lucas Villalba, replied with punches and kicked Lucas Romero.
What happened next and who intervened?
Immediately after the eruption of violence, security forces from both teams and the military police were mobilized to try to disperse the brawl. The referee Matheus Candançan requested police protection during the tumult, and only after the situation calmed did the match conclude and the expulsions appear on the official arbitration document.
The arbitration document frames many of the expulsions as the direct consequence of “during the general fight” actions — punches and kicks delivered when the chaos made it impossible to show red cards at the precise moment each offense occurred. That administrative choice in the report is the mechanism that produced the formal listing of 23 expulsions.
Back at the Mineirão where the match had begun as a championship decider, the players who moments before had been celebrating or contesting a title found themselves replaced by lines of exhausted, admonished figures and a long official record. For cruzeiro players and their opponents, the final image of the night was no longer the scoreboard but a referee’s pen and a list of names — a document that now stands as the authoritative account of what became a regrettable end to a title match.
