😱 Miraculous comeback in Copa do Brasil first round — and more

The Copa do Brasil began this week and may have already produced its most exciting match of the 2026 edition this Wednesday (18).

Porto Sport Club, from Bahia, eliminated Serra Branca, from Paraíba, in dramatic fashion in a clash involving two clubs making their debut in the history of the competition.

Playing at home, the team from Porto Seguro managed a comeback with two goals in stoppage time in the second half, despite being down two players since the first half.

One of the expulsions was caused by a bizarre reason: during the hydration break, defender Everton Santana headbutted his own teammate, goalkeeper Matheus Cabral.

Moment of Everton Santana's headbutt (wearing number 4) on his teammate

Details of the drama

Porto’s mission started to get complicated just three minutes into the match with the sending off of Caio, who stopped a counterattack with a hard foul and was shown a straight red card.

Serra Branca opened the scoring at the 31st minute of the first half with a shot from outside the box.

The hydration break happened right after the goal, with an argument between Everton Santana and Matheus Cabral that resulted in the aggression and the defender’s expulsion.

The goalkeeper was left lying on the field for a moment, and the referee only issued the red card when the teams were already lined up to resume play, almost four minutes after the headbutt.

Explanation for the second sending off of the match in the referee’s report

Even with two players down, Porto fought back with two goals in the final stretch of the match.

The equalizer came at the 45th minute of the second half and the winning goal at the 52nd.

Having qualified, Porto will face CRB, from Alagoas, in the second round of the Copa do Brasil, which will also be played in single-match knockouts.

The match is scheduled for Estádio Rei Pelé, in Maceió, on March 3.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Keldon Johnson knows the Spurs can meet expectations for the second half of the season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2025-26 season. After finishing 13th in the previous campaign, the Spurs are now the second seed, just behind the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Victor Wembanyama is the primary reason behind their success, but the rest of the team has stepped up. This includes Keldon Johnson, who has reinvigorated his career as the Spurs' sixth man.

Johnson believes the Spurs will live up to the hype

It has been a rapid ascent for the Spurs, as they are riding the coattails of their megastar big man. However, it has been a team-wide effort from the players and the coaching staff, led by Mitch Johnson.

Of course, they are not as experienced as other top teams, but they are willing to compete. Keldon will be among the team's leaders, considering he is the longest-tenured player with the organization.

MORE: Spurs' Mason Plumlee deal foreshadows another move to come

The Spurs have a second half of the season to go through, and they will be under pressure. People see them as contenders now, which is a huge shift from a team outside the postseason in the previous year.

"Nobody will tell you that the expectations were to be the #2 seed, but we're thriving and surviving. That is the name of the game in the NBA. Stay healthy, together, and continue to play for each other. I feel like the group we have does an amazing job with that," Johnson said ahead of the second half of the season.

They want to meet the lofty expectations. This shows solid ambition from the Spurs, as they want to prove they belong as a top team. San Antonio looks ready for it, and the players are motivated to keep it going.

More NBA news: 

• San Antonio Spurs predicted to add Duke star to pair Victor Wembanyama with another player nearly seven feet tall
• Mitch Johnson praises De'Aaron Fox balancing All-Star performances and superb leadership
• 4-time Warriors champion sends message to Victor Wembanyama
• Carter Bryant reveals what happened on final dunk attempt
• Stephon Castle loves the challenge of guarding superstars like SGA and Doncic