Carlo Ancelotti is not blaming Erling Haaland. He is not blaming his defenders. He is blaming a two-minute drinks pause on 5 July at MetLife Stadium.
“I think we lost the World Cup during the hydration break vs Norway. Because until that moment, the team was in control,” the Italian told ESPN in comments picked up by international outlets this week.
“Then, maybe it was my mistake, I thought the team had lost control of the game when it actually hadn’t. I changed the team a little, and then we had the problem with Haaland’s goal.”
The changes that reshaped the game
Shortly before the second-half water break, Ancelotti took off Gabriel Martinelli and Rayan and sent on Neymar and Danilo Santos. He is adamant the players themselves were not the issue.
Read also: The end is getting closer: Novak Djokovic reveals when he plans to retire
“I think Neymar had to come on at that moment because Neymar was doing well, trained well, and prepared well. I liked his attitude. I think he helped the team,” Ancelotti said.
“But with his introduction, I shouldn’t have changed the team’s structure.”
Haaland exploits the reshuffle
Norway were quick to punish the disruption. Haaland powered home a header 11 minutes from time and hammered in a second on 90 minutes with a low finish from the edge of the area. Neymar pulled one back from the penalty spot in stoppage time in what proved to be his final touch for the national team.
The double took Haaland to seven goals in the tournament, level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé at the top of the scoring chart. Norway coach Ståle Solbakken called it the “greatest night in Norwegian football history” as his side booked a first-ever World Cup quarter-final.
Read also: Jonas Vingegaard breaks his silence after surgery with first recovery update
Rebuild without Neymar
Brazil’s tournament ended weeks ago, and Ancelotti is now the man tasked with picking up the pieces.
His contract with the Brazilian Football Confederation runs through June 2030 and the federation is standing by him. In a CBF statement carried by World Soccer Talk, he said he will “begin putting together a new team, looking at young players, but without ruling out some of the soccer players who were at the World Cup and who still have a lot to contribute.”
Neymar has since drawn a line under his international career: “I tried, I tried. Now it’s over. I started here; I finished here.”
Read also: Cristiano Ronaldo believes Kylian Mbappé "doesn't know how to play striker"
