Carlo Ancelotti explains controversial Vinicius Junior penalty snub during Brazil’s 2026 World Cup exit – “We did some stats” | OneFootball

On Sunday, Vinicius Junior and Endrick Felipe became the latest Real Madrid players to be eliminated from the 2026 World Cup as Norway defeated Brazil 2-1 in their round of 16 tie. However, things could have been so different for the Selecao had they been the team to score first, and they missed a golden chance from the penalty spot.

Brazil were awarded a penalty inside 12 minutes when Matheus Cunha was upended, but rather than Vinicius Junior being the one to take it, it was Bruno Guimaraes, whose effort was saved by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. That proved very costly for the Selecao, as two Erling Haaland dumped them out of the World Cup.

The decision to not give the penalty to Vinicius, who has a good record with Real Madrid, raised many eyebrows, especially as Guimaraes missed. However, Carlo Ancelotti justified the decision by revealing that it was backed up by statistics, as per Diario AS.

“Why didn’t Vinicius take the penalty? We did some stats from the last year. The best one to take it was Neymar, then Igor Thiago, then Raphinha, then Bruno, then Martinelli. Bruno Guimarães was the best on the field.”

Strong World Cup for Vinicius despite elimination disappointment

Vinicius would have been very disappointed to be knocked out with Brazil at the round of 16 stage, especially as he was in excellent form during his time in North America. He racked up four goals and an assist in five appearances, although that was not enough to stop criticism coming his way in the aftermath of the Norway defeat.

Vinicius will now take some time to recharge ahead of returning to Real Madrid later this summer ahead of the 2026-27 season kicking off in August. Now with Jose Mourinho in charge, he will hope for more success than he’s had over the last 24 months.