Odisha Footballer collapses on pitch - 5 tragic on-field deaths in Indian football

#2 Cristiano Junior- 2004 Federation Cup, Dempo vs. Mohun Bagan

Cristiano Junior died after colliding with Indian international goalkeeper Subrata Pal

Dempo defeated Churchill Brothers to set up a date with Mohun Bagan for the elusive Federation Cup trophy in 2004, which the Goan outfit had never won. Brazil's Cristiano Junior led the attack lines and even scored a brace for his side which led to the side's 2-0 win over the century-old Calcutta club.

However, neither Dempo nor Cristiano Junior celebrated the victory as the 25-year-old died on that day. Cristiano caught the Mohun Bagan defense napping and latched on to a Jose Colaco shot in the 78th minute to score the second goal. However, on his way to rattling the ball into the back of the net, rival goalkeeper Subrata Pal punched him hard and got himself knocked out cold.

There was no ambulance in the ground and when he was taken to the hospital, Cristiano was declared "brought dead."