Palmeiras star Deyverson stunned fans after a spectacular display of play-acting went viral during his side’s 2-1 win in the Copa Libertadores final against Flamengo.
Deyverson had less than one minute left before the match went into extra-time. He was having a conversation with an opponent player.
The muscular-looking referee intervened and gave the forward an occasional tap to get the match back on track.
Deyverson looked back, then theatrically threw himself on the ground with delay. It was as though he had been seriously injured.
As the commentators tried to keep their laughter from bursting, he continued to roll around on the ground in apparent pain.
Fans on social media shared their outrage and joy at the shocking dive.
Twitter user: “At first viewing I thought it was an opposition player that had hit him but he looks at the ref before falling like he’s been shot.”
Another fan mocked forward by saying: “That’s a straight red,”Along with the laughing emojis.
An additional third: “There’s 100% contact and he has every right to go down.”
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Deyverson’s shocking antics were successful, however, in wasting enough time to carry Palmeiras over the line to their third Libertadores title against a strong Flamengo side.
Flamengo was home to stars such as Felipe Luis and David Luiz from Flamengo, Felipe Luis and Andreas Pereira, but they were held back by individual errors.
Most notable was Pereira’s error in extra-time where he was caught flat-footed in his own half by Deyverson, who put his team into the lead.
