The Brazilian footballer Lucas Paqueta, West Ham player, starred in an unusual play in the match against Crystal Palace by Jefferson Lerma and Daniel Muñoz in the English Championship. With his team already 2-0 up in the final minutes of the match, Paquetá surprised everyone when, in a free kick in favour of Crystal Palace, he came out of the wall, took the ball with his hand and carried it off as if it were his own. This unusual action stunned both the opposing players and the spectators.
In the extra time of the match, the Crystal Palace had the chance to go one step closer with a free-kick near the West Ham area. The visitors, who had dominated much of the match, were already two goals ahead. Crystal Palace players Wharton and Eze were preparing to take the shot when Paquetawithout warning, abandoned his position in the barrier and took the ball.
The surprise was such that the referee of the match, after a few seconds of confusion, quickly intervened. In a scene that resembled more the action of a defender than a referee, the referee “disarmed” Paquetá, recovered the ball and placed it back in the marker so that the free kick could be executed correctly. The action, although it had no impact on the final result, quickly became a topic of discussion on social networks and sports media.
– Saturday, 24 August 2024
The incident at the celebration
The match was also marked by an unusual incident during the celebration of West Ham’s first goal, scored by Soucek. As he ran into the stands to celebrate with the fans, the excitement boiled over and the advertising board separating the stands from the pitch collapsed, falling on a child who was working as a ball boy at the stadium.
Soucek, Showing a great sense of responsibility and empathy, he was one of the first to react, helping the child out of the mess that had formed. Fortunately, The child did not suffer serious injuries, But the episode added a tone of concern to what should have been a joyous moment for West Ham fans.
The match ended with a 2-0 victory for West Ham against Lerma and Muñoz’s team, but Paquetá’s unusual play and the accident during the celebration remained the most talked about moments of the match.
