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“Ancelotti died hugging Neymar”.
The withdrawal of the Brazilian team from the 2026 World Cup was not only a sporting defeat, but a national shock that shook the country and raised an unprecedented wave of criticism in the country. Brazilian mediawhich held Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti and many of the team’s stars, led by Neymar, responsible for the end of the World Cup.
Defeat to Norway ended Brazil’s dream of reclaiming the world title and confirmed the Selecao’s longest absence from a World Cup since their first crown. The match was also a shocking end for an entire generation of players, led by Neymar, who broke down and wept bitterly on the pitch after the final whistle in a scene that summed up the extent of the disappointment.
Norway, on the other hand, made history after Erling Holland led them to an unprecedented achievement, eliminating one of the biggest title contenders and writing one of the tournament’s most notable upsets.
Globo. Holland imposed their dominance and Brazil paid the price
Globo Esport network-affiliated media focused on Holland’s decisive influence on the game, as its main headline read:
The network not only praised the Norwegian star, but also blamed the performance of the players of the Brazilian national team, as analyst Rodrigo Coutinho wrote:
The ‘inevitable’ Holland and the sad end to Neymar’s career
As for the Brazilian network ESPN, it chose to describe Holland as a “cyborg” and titled its report as follows:
The report also shed light on Neymar’s last appearance at the World Cup, noting that the Brazil captain had a miserable end, playing just 55 minutes and scoring a late goal that wasn’t enough to change the result before he left the pitch in tears.
In his article, writer Paulo Cobos was more emphatic, describing the defeat as “a new and sad chapter in the history of Brazilian football, which is gradually fading.” He added: “Brazil’s failure at the 2026 World Cup was not at all surprising.
He also criticized the decision to call up Neymar, describing it as a “strange decision”, while Carlo Ancelotti’s performance during the tournament was described as “disastrous”.
Ancelotti collapsed because of Neymar
For its part, UOL’s website launched a scathing attack on the Italian coach, as journalist Arnaldo Ribeiro believed that Ancelotti had a “disastrous performance in a fateful game”.
Ribeiro criticized the changes made by the coach during the match, saying. “In the last substitution, when he replaced Indrik and Neymar on the wings in response to the wishes of the fans, he completely destroyed the team.”
He then made his most-used catchphrase after the game, saying: “It was not Neymar who died hugging Ancelotti, but Ancelotti hugging Neymar.”
“The worst version of Ancelotti”… and criticism of technical changes
In another report, journalists Pedro López and Thiago Arantes believed that this version of the Brazil team produced “the worst World Cup performance since 1990, as well as the worst of Carlo Ancelotti’s first-team career”.
As for journalist Mauro Cesar Pereira, he held the Italian coach responsible for the collapse, stressing that the changes he made, especially the inclusion of Neymar, were the direct reason the team lost its balance in the final minutes.
“Scandal”… a harsh attack on Neymar and the current generation
Criticism was not limited to the technical staff, as journalist Millie Lacombe published an article with the fiery headline: “Brazil: small, cowardly, docile, ridiculous and shameful.”
He strongly criticized the decision to return Neymar to the team, and described his call-up as a “scandal”, considering that his presence was not justified.
He also criticized the current generation of players, saying: “This is not the Brazil of the people, but rather the mighty Brazil, a Brazil that is extremely individual and has lost its identity, which has always distinguished Brazilian football.”
With this painful exit, Brazil are not just waiting for their World Cup campaign to end, but rather entering a new phase full of questions about the future of the team, the fate of Carlo Ancelotti and the end of the Neymar era that no one wanted to see end.
