EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The scenes were hard to watch inside MetLife Stadium on Sunday as Brazilian fans were seen in tears toward the end of the match, many leaving early in a sign of complete resignation.
The 2-1 defeat against Norway marked Brazil’s earliest World Cup exit since a round of 16 knockout in 1990.
The players were seemingly just as despondent.
Despite scoring the only goal for his team, Neymar, the 34-year-old legend, was visibly distraught at the end of what was likely to be his final World Cup.
Endrick, the 19-year-old forward, was emotional, too. He fell to his knees after the final whistle, prompting his teammates to walk over to console him.
It was essentially a home match for Brazil, whose supporters filled about 80% of the stands, as opposed to the small sections of Norwegian fans. It was no surprise to see the neon yellow swallowing the pockets of red jerseys, though. Not only do Brazilian fans love to travel to support their national team, but New Jersey is also home to one of the largest Brazilian diasporas in the country.
Head coach Carlo Ancelotti had much to answer for after the match, telling reporters that it was clear the team needs to find new ideas.
“Obviously, everyone is profoundly disappointed given what happened,” Ancelotti said. “We didn’t have a spectacular World Cup campaign, but we did a good one.”
But he will have to swallow the “bitter taste of defeat” in the meantime, he said.
For decades, Brazil has given fans one of the most thrilling styles of play — especially in high-stakes tournaments such as the World Cup. But the nation’s summer has been an utter slog, lacking the identity and joy on the pitch that spectators have come to expect.
The first 45 minutes against Norway were gritty, with Brazil fighting to create the few chances it inevitably failed to deliver on. Vinícius Júnior, Brazil’s rising star, remained muted on the right-hand side.
Ancelotti made the baffling choice to sideline the Real Madrid player for a penalty kick in the first half. Bruno Guimarães took the opportunity, instead, and squandered it with a stutter step that Norwegian keeper Ørjan Nyland didn’t fall for.
Nyland told reporters after the game that the team prepared as normal for Brazil but that the early penalty save gave him a boost of confidence.
“That was a great moment in the game for myself and also for the team to give us some breathing space,” he said. “And in the end, we also managed to score in the right moments ... but obviously with the quality that Brazil has, we knew we had to fight together.”
Ancelotti defended his decision by saying it was a matter of statistics, which said the best penalty kickers were the men on the bench.
“So we chose Bruno Guimarães because we felt that he was the best in the field at that point,” Ancelotti said.
It seemed grim for Brazil early in the second half after Norway returned from the locker room with substitutions and a high press into the attacking third that forced Brazil to defend more than it most likely wanted to.
In the 58th minute, Ancelotti made a crucial decision to bring on Endrick.
“I think Endrick came in to give a lot more depth to the match. That worked for one minute or two,” Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti’s underuse of Endrick, who had played only 102 minutes going into this match, has been the subject of some criticism for the last three weeks. Endrick’s late-game substitution made an immediate impact. Within a minute, Vinícius threaded the ball right to Endrick as part of a counterattack, but the teen phenom sent his shot wide.
But the play began to breathe new confidence into Brazil — and the thousands of fans in bright yellow jerseys screaming in the stands.
Neymar came into the match about 10 minutes after Endrick, bolstering the offense with a flair that Brazil desperately needed.
Ultimately, however, it appeared to be too little too late.
Norway’s Erling Haaland made a leap over his Premier League nemesis Gabriel Magalhães to tap in a header from a cross in the 79th minute to give Norway the lead. He followed up in the 90th minute with a one-touch wonder that found the back of the net, squashing Brazil’s hopes.
In hindsight, Ancelotti said, it’s “very evident” that Brazil’s midfield is an issue.
“I think we have to move some players,” he said. “We need some young talent. We need some high-level players coming into Brazilian football to be able to play for the national team in the future.”
The energy in the locker room was tough, according to Ancelotti, who thanked his players for their hard work. But in sports, he said, it’s not always going to go your way.
“We’re going to manage it,” Ancelotti said. “We’re going to take this defeat, and we’re going to use it as fuel for the new ... new cycle moving forward.”
