Viral Video of the Day: Brazilian Ball Boy Stops Shot, Flees Pitch

Sometimes 11 players just aren't enough.

That's what this Brazilian ball boy must have been thinking. That's the only explanation for this clip, which comes from the closing minutes of a Brazilian Campeonato Sergipano match from Sunday.

(That's the league in the Brazilian state of Sergipe, if you were wondering about all the modest size of the stadium.)

As the final whistle nears, Guarany (in the green jerseys) trail 1-0 and their keeper decides to push all the way forward for a last-gasp corner kick.

Sergipe (in red) defend the corner easily, and their goalie quickly spots a runner sprinting for the Guarany half.

After a nice throw from the goalkeeper, the Sergipe attacker sees that the Guarany goal is empty. He beats the only defender who tracks back in time, only for the ball boy (otherwise known as the yellow team) to clear his shot off the line.

Brilliant save? Cowardly action?

It didn't matter. A bit of argy-bargy broke out between the teams and the referee ended the match immediately with Sergipe leading 1-0.

The ball boy fled the scene, and there's no word what happened to him.

Sergipe didn't get their goal, or justice for the crime, but they did get the win.

(h/t: Dirty Tackle)

(Also: The Guardian informs us that this sort of thing has happened before in Brazilian football. Click here to see.)