Ancelotti explains the fall for Norway and already projects the start of a new cycle

After the setback, the coach admitted his frustration with the early fall, but defended the team’s performance and stated that the result should mark the beginning of a new stage in the work.

After a nervous start to the game, Ancelotti highlighted that Brazil had control of part of the match and created opportunities to qualify. For the Italian, the team was capable of going further in the competition and defended the squad assembled.

“I think that Brazil, with this squad, could compete until the end of this World Cup. It also seemed to me that today’s game was a match that the team had controlled. We had opportunities”, he stated.

Norway keeps possession of the ball and Brazil bets on the counterattack

With just 34% possession of the ball compared to Norway’s 66%, Brazil had difficulty controlling the match in the round of 16 of the World Cup. After the elimination, Ancelotti explained the strategy adopted and stated that the team avoided higher pressure due to the risk of leaving Haaland in a one-on-one situation.

Even with caution, the plan was not enough. Haaland scored two goals in the second half and ended Brazil’s dream of a sixth championship.

“It was much more complicated to press high, because Norway put a lot of players behind and relegated Odegaard a lot. So, pressing very high was a risk due to Haaland’s speed in one-on-one”, he explained.

Ancelotti was asked about penalty taker

One of the main moments of the Brazilian elimination was the penalty missed by Bruno Guimarães in the first half. After the match, Ancelotti explained the choice of midfielder to take the penalty.

According to the Italian, the decision was made based on an internal survey carried out by the technical committee over the last year. Neymar and Raphinha were considered the team’s main goalkeepers, but they were not available at that time.

“We did a year’s worth of statistics, with opposing players and our own. The team’s best hitter was Neymar, Raphinha, obviously, but at that moment he wasn’t on the field. Then came Igor Thiago, then Bruno Guimarães and, next, Martinelli”, he said.

“We chose Bruno Guimarães because we understood that he was the best taker among the players who were on the field at that time”, he added.

Coach talks about new cycle after elimination

Despite the frustration over the fall, Ancelotti tried to project the future of the Brazilian team. The coach stated that a defeat like this needs to be seen as a starting point for a new phase. Carlo Ancelotti joined the team in June 2025 and has a contract with the CBF until the next World Cup.

“When a moment like this passes, you need to think that a defeat is the beginning of a new adventure, a new season. We have to keep working, improving and finding new ideas. I believe it’s not the end, it’s the beginning of a new cycle”, he added.