AFP – Brazil turned to Carlo Ancelotti hoping the Italian coaching great could end their long wait to win another World Cup, but his mission ended in a painful defeat to Norway as the Selecao’s woes at the tournament went on.

Two Erling Haaland goals decided the last-16 clash at the MetLife Stadium in Norway’s favour after Bruno Guimaraes had an early penalty saved.

Neymar’s successful late spot-kick was just a consolation, as the once mighty Brazilians – who had just 34 per cent possession – slumped to their earliest World Cup exit since 1990.

The ex-Real Madrid and AC Milan coach was appointed in May last year and recently signed a contract extension to stay until 2030.

He may have been realistic enough to know winning this year’s World Cup was a big ask, but going out so soon is an enormous disappointment.

Despite that, he insisted he would stay.

“A defeat is the start of a new adventure. Now we need to keep working hard and keep improving,” he said.

“This is football. This is sport. You just have to deal with it. We will use this as fuel going forward.”

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) had been courting Ancelotti for two years before getting their man.

The Selecao were in a dire state after their quarter-final exit on penalties to Croatia at the 2022 World Cup. Coach Tite departed, and Fernando Diniz took over for the start of qualifying for this World Cup, but lasted just six games.

In came Dorival Junior, but the veteran oversaw a quarter-final exit at the 2024 Copa America before being dismissed in March last year.

Ancelotti saw Brazil over the line, although they finished fifth in the 10-team South American qualifying group, 10 points behind first-placed Argentina. The hope, expectation even, was that they would still compete strongly here. Instead they continued a now long-standing trend – since last winning the World Cup in 2002, they have lost every time they have faced European opposition in the knockout stages.

At the last five World Cups before this, Brazil lost four times in the quarter-finals and reached the semis once – when they suffered a traumatising 7-1 defeat to Germany as hosts in 2014.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin