The Great Brazilian Soccer Robbery

Brazil's most popular club Flamengo beat Grêmio 2-1 in the dramatic last day of the Brasileiro, ending a 17-year drought and winning their sixth national title. The overjoyed Flamengo fans partied all night but a different Hollywood-thriller-style drama was unfolding in a cash-delivery firm in São Paulo. An incredibly clever group of robbers aware of Brazil's love for football thought the final day of the championship to be the perfect time to steal £3.5 million!

While the nation was transfixed by the phenomenal football being played, police suspect the robbers who tunneled into the firm's building, waited until when the final games of the national championships were played on Sunday afternoon to break in and steal more than 10 million reais ($5.7 million)

Although a security guard working at the firm on Sunday reported hearing loud noises he assumed they were fireworks lit by excited fans, the Globo news network's website reported São Paulo police as saying.

The thieves rented a nearby house several months ago and disguised themselves as residents,also put a Christmas tree in their window to allay any suspicions. They then painstakingly dug a 150-meter (490-foot) long tunnel to the firm's building.

Europe should watch out in May for some copy-cats are bound to surface. A missing Christmas tree might be a giveaway!