IN THE 67TH minute, with his side desperately needing a goal and the score at 0-0, Carlo Ancelotti turned to his bench.
Highly rated Bournemouth teenager Rayan and Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli both had ineffectual games, so it was no surprise to see the pair withdrawn.
But if anything, the substitutes may have encouraged Norway.
Lionel Messi has shown that veteran superstars playing outside of top leagues should not necessarily be dismissed at this World Cup.
But bringing on Neymar in the country’s hour of need felt like a remarkable gamble.
The 34-year-old has played just eight times in the Brazilian top flight for Santos in 2026. His two previous seasons in the Saudi Pro League consisted of three appearances.
The 2022-23 campaign, when he scored 13 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG, was the last time he was finding the net with any real regularity.
Based on his club form over the last three years, there was no rational reason for the former Barcelona star to be on the pitch. It felt like purely a nostalgic and sentimental call.
Neymar did, of course, score from the penalty spot in the 100th minute with virtually the last kick of Sunday night’s game, but he did little else of note during his time on the field.
In that crucial moment, with the game in the balance, Brazil also opted to introduce another man plying his trade in Brazilian football for Botafogo, Danilo Santos.
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Irish readers might remember Danilo from his few years at Nottingham Forest.
I write ‘might’ because it was a forgettable three-season stint with the Premier League club, with the majority of his 50 appearances coming in the campaign where the team finished 17th and narrowly avoided relegation.
So for Brazil to be relying on that level of player gives some insight into how far they have fallen.
No one has a richer or more successful history at the World Cup — they have won the competition five times, more than any other country.
Their decline has not been quite as steep as four-time winners Italy, but since their last triumph in 2002, the Seleção seem to have become progressively worse.
In the 24 years since they won it, the closest Brazil have come to repeating that feat was their fourth-place finish in 2014. But that moment also coincided with their greatest humiliation – the 7-1 semi-final thumping by eventual champions Germany.
Now, they seem further off than ever – tonight’s debacle was their worst World Cup performance since exiting in the round of 16 against Argentina in 1990.
There were some caveats – the injuries to Raphinha and Estêvão exacerbated their attacking issues, of course.
Vinicius Junior of Brazil watches the Norwegian celebration after the match. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Yet Ancelotti – an undisputed coaching great and the only manager to win the Champions League five times – made some strange decisions beyond the inclusion of Neymar, which felt like a concession to celebrity over footballing ability.
Only Erling Haaland – who coincidentally turned out to be Norway’s hero – scored more goals in the Premier League last season than Igor Thiago.
The Brentford star started and played 62 minutes of Brazil’s lacklustre opening 1-1 draw with Morocco and has not been seen on the pitch since.
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Surely, given their conspicuous limitations in the final third, Brazil could have found room for one of English football’s most prolific attackers.
In addition, João Pedro is one of the better players in an admittedly erratic Chelsea team and scored 15 goals from 35 Premier League appearances last season, but was left out of the squad completely.
Casemiro may have scored the equalising goal for Brazil in the round-of-32 encounter against Japan, but the 34-year-old has, for some time, looked past his best for club and country.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti persisted with the unattached footballer for the duration of the Norway clash, so it was perhaps no surprise that Ståle Solbakken’s side controlled the game for the most part, with their opponents forced to sit back and play on the counter-attack.
Meanwhile, Éderson, the Atalanta midfielder who some journalists have tipped as a potential replacement for Casemiro at Man United, was reduced to a late cameo.
Brazil are still strong in some areas, particularly defence. Ancelotti’s men have Liverpool’s Alisson in goals, along with PSG’s Marquinhos and Gabriel of Arsenal at centre-back. By comparison, in the equivalent positions, Norway have Ørjan Nyland (Sevilla’s second-choice goalkeeper), as well as Torbjørn Heggem (Bologna) and Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford).
But Brazil rarely tested this suspect backline. In fact, the South Americans’ best moments, namely the two penalties, came about primarily owing to unforced defensive errors rather than creative brilliance in attack.
In the end, Norway’s superstar Haaland made the difference with two lethal finishes while Neymar and co toiled away unproductively at the other end.
It is therefore a sad, stark and brutal decline for the country that has produced Pele, Garrincha, Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and so many incomparable, otherworldly attackers.
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Woeful Brazil a pale imitation of past great sides
IN THE 67TH minute, with his side desperately needing a goal and the score at 0-0, Carlo Ancelotti turned to his bench.
Highly rated Bournemouth teenager Rayan and Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli both had ineffectual games, so it was no surprise to see the pair withdrawn.
But if anything, the substitutes may have encouraged Norway.
Lionel Messi has shown that veteran superstars playing outside of top leagues should not necessarily be dismissed at this World Cup.
But bringing on Neymar in the country’s hour of need felt like a remarkable gamble.
The 34-year-old has played just eight times in the Brazilian top flight for Santos in 2026. His two previous seasons in the Saudi Pro League consisted of three appearances.
The 2022-23 campaign, when he scored 13 goals in 20 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG, was the last time he was finding the net with any real regularity.
Based on his club form over the last three years, there was no rational reason for the former Barcelona star to be on the pitch. It felt like purely a nostalgic and sentimental call.
Neymar did, of course, score from the penalty spot in the 100th minute with virtually the last kick of Sunday night’s game, but he did little else of note during his time on the field.
In that crucial moment, with the game in the balance, Brazil also opted to introduce another man plying his trade in Brazilian football for Botafogo, Danilo Santos.
Irish readers might remember Danilo from his few years at Nottingham Forest.
I write ‘might’ because it was a forgettable three-season stint with the Premier League club, with the majority of his 50 appearances coming in the campaign where the team finished 17th and narrowly avoided relegation.
So for Brazil to be relying on that level of player gives some insight into how far they have fallen.
No one has a richer or more successful history at the World Cup — they have won the competition five times, more than any other country.
Their decline has not been quite as steep as four-time winners Italy, but since their last triumph in 2002, the Seleção seem to have become progressively worse.
In the 24 years since they won it, the closest Brazil have come to repeating that feat was their fourth-place finish in 2014. But that moment also coincided with their greatest humiliation – the 7-1 semi-final thumping by eventual champions Germany.
Now, they seem further off than ever – tonight’s debacle was their worst World Cup performance since exiting in the round of 16 against Argentina in 1990.
There were some caveats – the injuries to Raphinha and Estêvão exacerbated their attacking issues, of course.
Yet Ancelotti – an undisputed coaching great and the only manager to win the Champions League five times – made some strange decisions beyond the inclusion of Neymar, which felt like a concession to celebrity over footballing ability.
Only Erling Haaland – who coincidentally turned out to be Norway’s hero – scored more goals in the Premier League last season than Igor Thiago.
The Brentford star started and played 62 minutes of Brazil’s lacklustre opening 1-1 draw with Morocco and has not been seen on the pitch since.
Surely, given their conspicuous limitations in the final third, Brazil could have found room for one of English football’s most prolific attackers.
In addition, João Pedro is one of the better players in an admittedly erratic Chelsea team and scored 15 goals from 35 Premier League appearances last season, but was left out of the squad completely.
Casemiro may have scored the equalising goal for Brazil in the round-of-32 encounter against Japan, but the 34-year-old has, for some time, looked past his best for club and country.
Nevertheless, Ancelotti persisted with the unattached footballer for the duration of the Norway clash, so it was perhaps no surprise that Ståle Solbakken’s side controlled the game for the most part, with their opponents forced to sit back and play on the counter-attack.
Meanwhile, Éderson, the Atalanta midfielder who some journalists have tipped as a potential replacement for Casemiro at Man United, was reduced to a late cameo.
Brazil are still strong in some areas, particularly defence. Ancelotti’s men have Liverpool’s Alisson in goals, along with PSG’s Marquinhos and Gabriel of Arsenal at centre-back. By comparison, in the equivalent positions, Norway have Ørjan Nyland (Sevilla’s second-choice goalkeeper), as well as Torbjørn Heggem (Bologna) and Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford).
But Brazil rarely tested this suspect backline. In fact, the South Americans’ best moments, namely the two penalties, came about primarily owing to unforced defensive errors rather than creative brilliance in attack.
In the end, Norway’s superstar Haaland made the difference with two lethal finishes while Neymar and co toiled away unproductively at the other end.
It is therefore a sad, stark and brutal decline for the country that has produced Pele, Garrincha, Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and so many incomparable, otherworldly attackers.
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2026 world cup ERLING Haaland Soccer talking point Brazil Norway