2 days ago
Frightening scenes as footballer plummets into giant ditch celebrating goal
A moment of jubilation quickly turned into a heart-stopping moment as Indonesian under-17 star Mierza Firjatullah plummeted into a pit while celebrating his goal against Tajikistan.
In the Independence Cup match between the two under-17 international sides last week, Firjatullah scored a brilliant headed goal to give Indonesia a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.
Overcome with emotion after giving his team the lead, the young forward celebrated wildly, charging towards the home fans.
However, there was one major problem, a deep pit that separated the spectators from the pitch at the North Sumatra Stadium in Deliserdang, Indonesia.
After jumping over the advertising boards, Firjatullah found himself falling rapidly into a ditch more than 3m deep in front of Indonesian fans.
You can watch the heart-stopping moment in the player above
The players, coaches and stewards immediately ran towards the hole to check on the player as audible gasps replaced cheers.
Fortuitously, Firjatullah managed to stick the landing and came out of the ordeal scot-free, eventually continuing to celebrate with spectators.
He was helped out of the hole by staff and continued on until he was taken off in the 59th minute.
The match ended in an anticlimactic 2-2 draw, but with a massive viral moment.
'Imagine if the goal was considered offside,' one fan commented.
Another wrote: 'Lucky to walk away from that. You'd think they'd at least build a fence there'.
While a third added: 'Lucky lucky boy'.
