Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti insists his side’s surprise exit from the 2026 World Cup should be seen as the beginning of a new era rather than the end of the five-time champions’ journey after they were eliminated by Norway in the last 16.Brazil lost 1-2, and Haaland scored twice in the second half to help Norway advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in history. Neymar A penalty was converted in stoppage time but it proved to be only a consolation as Brazil suffered its first World Cup exit since 1990.The result was a major setback for one of the World Cup favorites, who advanced as top of Group C after drawing with Morocco and beating Haiti and Scotland before beating Japan 2-1 in the last 32.Looking back on the defeat, Ancelotti admitted that the mood in the Brazilian team was one of deep disappointment, but he still believes that this setback will lay the foundation for future success.“Obviously, we are all deeply saddened because so far the team has not experienced a good World Cup, but a good World Cup. I think in today’s game, we also deserved to win. When moments like this happen, you have to think of defeat as the beginning of a new adventure. I believe this defeat is not the end but the beginning of a new cycle,” he said.Brazil created multiple chances throughout the game but failed to capitalize. Bruno Guimarães missed a penalty to equalize in the first half and Casemiro failed to find Neymar with a cross in a potential equalizer.Ancelotti also defended the decision to allow Guimarães to take penalties instead of Vinicius, explaining that his coaching staff had spent a year analyzing the team’s penalty options. With Neymar not on the field at the time and Rafinha unavailable due to injury, Guimarães was identified as the designated receiver.Despite the painful exit, Ancelotti stressed that his focus has turned to rebuilding the national team ahead of the next World Cup.“We will continue to work for the national team, try to improve and look for new ideas. We did the same thing this year. I think the work is good, football is like this and sometimes you have to control the sadness of failure. I’m used to it. We will respond to this defeat with new work motivation and player evaluation. ” he concluded.Brazil captain Marquinhos also expressed the manager’s frustration, admitting his side failed to make the most of the chances they created.“We really didn’t create chances,” Marquinhos said. “We had a penalty and we had some other chances but this is the World Cup for you. The person who makes the fewest mistakes advances to the next round and wins. “The defeat ended Brazil’s impressive run in the knockout stages of the World Cup. Before facing Norway, the Selecao had played 11 games in the previous 16 rounds and achieved 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Their only defeat at this stage was against Argentina in 1990, while they defeated Chile on penalties after a draw in 2014.Brazil also ended a run of eight consecutive World Cup quarter-final appearances, failing to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990.The defeat continued another unwelcome trend, with Brazil having successfully defeated European opponents in the knockout rounds of the World Cup seven times since defeating Germany in the 2002 final. The injured absence of midfielder Lucas Paqueta further exacerbated the team’s problems as the tournament favorites returned home much earlier than expected.
