Indonesian 16-year-old player falls into a three-meter ditch while rushing toward fans to celebrate

Lucky escape! An Indonesian youth player, overjoyed after scoring a goal, leapt over two barriers in celebration while rushing toward enthusiastic fans, only to fall into a three-meter-deep trench between the pitch and the stands—fortunately escaping unharmed.

According to Sportstiger, the incident occurred during the Independence Cup football match between Indonesia and Tajikistan at the North Sumatra Stadium. Mierza Firjatullah, a 16-year-old player from the Indonesian team, scored the opening goal in the 34th minute.

In celebration, he jumped over two pitchside barriers to reach the cheering supporters, but accidentally plunged into the three-meter-deep gap separating the field from the stands. He momentarily disappeared from view on the stadium’s big screen, leaving teammates, coaches, and spectators shocked.

CCTV footage from the stadium showed him plummeting straight into the ditch and landing seated on the ground. Fortunately, he soon stood up and, with assistance from medical staff who came to check on him, returned to the field to continue playing.

Indonesia's head coach Nova Arianto said after the match that Firjatullah was unharmed, experiencing only mild numbness, which is why he was allowed to return to the game until the 59th minute.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw and served as a preparatory game for the upcoming U-17 (under-17) World Cup to be held at the end of the year.