2026 FIFA World Cup: Ancelotti explains why Bruno Guimaraes played consequential penalty ahead of Vinicius

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has defended the decision to bypass Vinícius Jr for a penalty during their 2-1 round-of-16 defeat to Norway, revealing the squad's hierarchy for spot-kicks.

The South American side were eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Erling Haaland scored a second-half brace. However, the trajectory of the match could have shifted had midfielder Bruno Guimarães converted a first-half penalty.

The Newcastle United midfielder stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his effort was saved by Sevilla and Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland, leaving Brazil scoreless heading into the break.

Following the elimination, Ancelotti faced scrutiny over the decision to assign the penalty to Guimarães rather than Vinicius Jr, who is the star player of the team and top scorer in the tournament.

The manager explained that they relied on data and had pre-designated the penalty takers.

"We did some stats, and the BEST was Raphinha. From the players available, the best was Neymar, then Igor Thiago, then Bruno Guimarães, then Martinelli," Ancelotti told reporters. "Bruno, in our view, was the best on the pitch."

The hierarchy was further demonstrated deep into stoppage time. When Brazil were awarded a second penalty in the 100th minute, it was Neymar who stepped up to convert the late consolation goal, with Vinicius still on the pitch.

Guimarães’ failure to score marked a rare statistical anomaly for both the player and the nation. While he successfully converted his two penalty attempts for Newcastle United, the miss against Norway was his first penalty attempt for Brazil.

Furthermore, he became the first Brazilian player to fail to convert a penalty in a World Cup match, excluding shoot-outs, since Zico missed against France at the 1986 tournament.

Ståle Solbakken's Norway squad will now advance to the quarter-finals to face either England or Mexico.