Ancelotti regrets Brazil exit, looks ahead: “This isn’t the end”
Coach Carlo Ancelotti said Brazil deserved to have won Sunday’s (Jul. 5) match against Norway. The 2-1 loss in New Jersey, United States, with two goals by forward Erling Haaland, eliminated the Brazilian national team from the World Cup in the round of 16 - its worst performance since 1990.
“We’re very sad about the result, but [the World Cup] was a wonderful experience with a great group. I want to thank the players, who worked hard and created a great atmosphere. But in sports, not everything goes perfectly. I think that, given today’s performance, we didn’t deserve to lose, but we also have to acknowledge that the other team has, as I’ve already said, very good players who made the difference,” the coach said at a press conference.
Despite creating chances, Brazil failed to convert them into goals and even missed a penalty early in the first half, taken by midfielder Bruno Guimarães. Throughout the match, the Brazilian national team adopted a counterattacking strategy, while Norway dominated possession. The Nordic side completed nearly twice as many passes (581 to 291) as the green-and-yellow squad.
“The game seemed under control. We had our chances. It was difficult to apply high pressure [pressing from the moment the ball was played] because, for Norway, [midfielder Martin] Ødegaard dropped deep a lot, so it was risky to leave Haaland in one-on-one situations,” Ancelotti explained.
“They tried to control the tempo of the game through possession. For 70 minutes, we had the game under control. But Haaland ended up deciding it,” the coach added.
Ancelotti was asked about his decision to have Bruno Guimarães take the penalty in the first half, when the score was 0–0. The question arose because he opted not to give it to forward Vinícius Júnior. According to the coach, among the players on the field, the midfielder had the best track record.
“We analyzed a year’s worth of statistics, both for our opponents and for our own players. The best [penalty taker] was Neymar. Then came [fellow forwards] Igor Thiago and Raphinha, followed by Bruno Guimarães, and then [forward Gabriel] Martinelli. We considered who was best on the field,” the Italian explained.
A new cycle
With a contract running through 2030 - renewed before the World Cup - Ancelotti is already looking ahead to the next tournament, which will be hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has not yet confirmed it, but Football Australia has announced two friendly matches against Brazil on September 25 and 29 in the cities of Townsville and Brisbane.
“Now we have to deal with the disappointment and then think about what the future might hold for this national team, which has a solid group of young players, some more experienced ones who can continue, and others who can step in. When we go through a moment like this, we have to remember that a loss can also mark a new beginning. We have to keep improving. It’s not the end. It’s the start of a new cycle,” the coach concluded.
