Vinicius says Bruno Guimaraes is better on penalties after Brazil’s World Cup exit | OneFootball

Vinicius defended the decision not to take Brazil’s first-half penalty in the last-16 defeat by Norway, saying Bruno Guimaraes is the better taker.

At 0-0 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Guimaraes had his kick saved by the Norway goalkeeper. Norway went on to win 2-1 and knock Brazil out. L'Équipe reports that Vinicius said the coach designates takers beforehand.

The Real Madrid forward, Brazil’s top scorer at the tournament with four goals, and head coach Carlo Ancelotti faced sharp criticism for handing the duty to Guimaraes. Vinicius said he was not chasing the top-scorer prize and that was why his team-mate stepped up.

He added he has never hidden from responsibility and takes spot-kicks at Real when the manager asks him to. Ancelotti said his pecking order, based on penalty statistics, was Neymar, then Raphinha, Bruno Guimaraes and Gabriel Martinelli, with the first two not on the pitch in the first half.

The five-time winners, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, suffered their worst World Cup showing since 1990, when they also exited at the same stage to Argentina. Vinicius called it a very sad day and apologised to supporters who believed in the team.

Source: L'Équipe