A ball boy for Chilean club Unión Española accidentally ruined his own team's chance of an equalizer in a 1-0 defeat against Rangers de Talca on Saturday, August 29.
The incident occurred in the 89th minute at Estadio Santa Laura as sixth-placed Unión Española pressed for a late goal against their bottom-ranked opponents in the 22nd round of Chile's Primera B.
Unión Española were trailing to a single goal from Rangers striker Junior Arias when a stray ball was thrown onto the pitch from the spectator stands to disrupt play.
Spotting the extra ball, the ball boy sprinted onto the playing surface to retrieve it, unaware that his own team was launching a rapid counter-attack toward the opposite end of the field.
Unión Española attack halted inside penalty area
As an Unión Española forward drove into the penalty box and attempted to beat a defender, the young ball boy ran directly across the area while attempting to leave the pitch.
The referee immediately blew his whistle to stop play and address the intrusion, leaving players from both sides stunned by the interruption.
Realizing his mistake, the ball boy quickly fled the pitch and ran into the stadium tunnel to avoid the television cameras.
Rangers de Talca held on through injury time to claim the 1-0 victory, despite playing with ten men following a red card earlier in the match.
Supporter reactions and next match
Supporters leaving the stadium in Independencia expressed frustration and disbelief at the costly blunder that sealed their team's defeat.
One fan told Chilean sports media outlet RedGol that he had never seen anything like it, describing the situation as very strange.
The result leaves Unión Española in sixth place in the Chilean second division, while bottom-of-the-table Rangers de Talca secured three crucial points.
Unión Española will return to action on Saturday, September 5, when they host Deportes Santa Cruz, another team near the bottom of the league standings.
Background on Chilean football institutions
Unión Española is based in the municipality of Independencia in Santiago, Chile, and plays home matches at Estadio Santa Laura. Founded in 1897, the club is one of the oldest professional football teams in the country.
Club Social de Deportes Rangers, commonly referred to as Rangers de Talca, was founded in 1902 and represents the city of Talca in Chile's Maule Region.
Primera B is the second tier of professional football in Chile, where 16 teams compete for promotion to the top-flight Primera División.
