Ronaldo points finger at Vinícius and Ancelotti after Brazil’s World Cup exit

Brazil suffered a painful and devastating blow far too early, crashing out in the Round of 16 of the World Cup to Norway. The sense of failure is unmistakable, given the enormous expectation around their pursuit of a sixth world title. Instead, Erling Haaland stood in their way and delivered the decisive damage.

Brazilian media showed no mercy after the early elimination, with reactions pouring in immediately after the final whistle.

Ronaldo Nazário questions tactical decisions

One of the first major voices was Ronaldo Nazário, who did not hold back in his assessment.

“I have to be honest, I think this elimination starts with the decisions from the bench,” Ronaldo said. “Carlo Ancelotti is one of the best coaches in football history, but tonight he made too many mistakes.

“I still do not understand why João Pedro was not part of this squad. He has had an outstanding season, he is in form, and Brazil needed a striker who could offer something different.

“Then you look at Endrick. Every time he came into this tournament, he brought energy, aggression, and unpredictability. Yet he spent most of the World Cup on the bench. I do not understand that.”

Ronaldo also pointed to Brazil’s biggest names.

“Vinícius Júnior also has to take responsibility. We all know how talented he is, but this has not been a good World Cup for him. He never looked like the player we see dominate at club level. When Brazil needed their biggest stars, he never really imposed himself.

“Norway deserved their victory, let us be clear. They were organized, disciplined, and Haaland punished every mistake. But Brazil helped Norway with poor decisions even before the match began.

“At this level, one or two mistakes can end your World Cup. Tonight there were too many.”

Felipe Melo calls for Neymar decision

Former Brazil international Felipe Melo also weighed in on Sportv.

“I understand the coach has his convictions, but I would have started Neymar,” he said. “Neymar could have scored the first penalty, and the match would have been a different story.”

The Brazilian press turns critical

Brazil’s leading sports outlet Globoesporte described the elimination as “The end of the road” and highlighted that this was Brazil’s worst World Cup performance since 1990.

It also noted a troubling pattern, marking this as the sixth time Brazil have been eliminated by a European team in the tournament.

In player ratings, criticism focused heavily on key figures.

On Vinícius Júnior, the outlet wrote: “Although he made mistakes, he also had good moments. He was unable to make the difference as he has at other points in this World Cup.”

Endrick received some of the harshest evaluation: “He received a perfect pass from Vini Jr. and, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, finished very poorly.”

Ancelotti also came under fire: “The lack of attacking options was evident. This left him exposed in the final stages of the match and he could not avoid elimination.”

Elsewhere, Folha de S. Paulo ran the headline “Brazil fall and the dream of the sixth title is over,” while Placar was blunt with “Brazil fails once again.” ESPN Brasil took a different angle, leading with “Brazil watches Haaland destroy them in 10 minutes.”

Penalty miss sets the tone

Much of the focus also fell on Bruno Guimarães’ missed penalty early in the match. Placar noted he had taken only four penalties in his career, while Folha de S. Paulo pointed out he became the first Brazilian to miss a World Cup penalty since 1986.

“Haaland makes Brazil cry”

International media echoed the shock of Brazil’s exit.

French outlet L’Équipe led with: “Haaland makes Brazil cry,” highlighting both the striker’s decisive performance and the tears of Brazilian players after the final whistle.

The BBC struck a more restrained tone: “Haaland scores twice as Norway knock Brazil out,” though its match report emphasized the penalty miss and Haaland’s relatively quiet start before his decisive impact.

In Italy, Gazzetta dello Sport amplified the narrative around the Norwegian striker with a headline that read: “Haaland is bigger than Brazil.”

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