‘The start of a new cycle’: Carlo Ancelotti breaks silence after Brazil’s shock defeat

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti helps Brazil’s Vinicius Junior stand up during the World Cup match between Brazil and Norway (AP Photo) Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted his side’s shock exit from the 2026 World Cup should be seen as the start of a new era rather than the end of the road after the five-time champions were knocked out by Norway in the last eight.Brazil’s campaign ended in disappointment with a 2-1 defeat as Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half to send Norway into the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the men’s team. Neymar converted a penalty deep into stoppage time but it proved to be a consolation as Brazil suffered their earliest exit from the World Cup since 1990.The result was a major setback for one of the tournament favourites, who topped Group C after drawing with Morocco and beating Haiti and Scotland before beating Japan 2-1 in the round of 32.Reflecting on the defeat, Ancelotti admitted the mood in the Brazilian camp was one of disappointment, but remained confident the setback would lay the foundations for future success.“Obviously, we are all deeply saddened because the team has not had a spectacular World Cup so far, but a good one. I think we could have deserved to win in today’s match as well. When a moment like this comes, you have to think that defeat is the beginning of a new adventure. I believe this defeat is not the end, it is the beginning of a new cycle,” he said.Brazil created several chances throughout the match but failed to convert them. Bruno Guimarães missed a penalty in the first half with the scores level, while Casemiro failed to cross Neymar in a promising attack that could have produced an equaliser.Ancelotti also defended the decision to award Guimarães a penalty instead of Vinícius Júnior, 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 Raphinha unavailable due to injury, Guimarães was named as the designated player.Despite the painful departure, Ancelotti stressed that his focus has already shifted to rebuilding the national side ahead of the next World Cup.“We will continue to work for the national team, try to improve and look for new ideas. The same as we did this year. I think the work was good, football is like that, sometimes you have to cope with the sadness of defeat. I’m used to that. We will cope with this defeat with a new impulse to work and evaluate the players,” he concluded.Brazil captain Marquinhos echoed his manager’s frustrations, admitting the team failed to capitalize on the chances they created.“We really fell behind in the chances we created,” Marquinhos said. “We had a penalty kick, we had some other chances, but this is the World Cup for you. Those who make the least mistakes can go to the next round and win.”The defeat ended Brazil’s remarkable record in the knockout stages of the World Cup. Prior to the match against Norway, the Seleção had played 11 previous Round of 16 matches, winning nine, drawing one and losing only once. Their only previous defeat at this stage came against Argentina in 1990, while they advanced on penalties over Chile in 2014.Brazil have also seen eight consecutive World Cup quarter-final appearances come to an end, meaning they have failed to reach the last eight since 1990.The loss continued another unwanted trend, with Brazil now suffering seven consecutive World Cup knockout defeats against European opposition since beating Germany in the 2002 final. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paquet added to the team’s woes as the tournament favorites headed home much earlier than expected.