Why I didn’t take penalty against Norway — Vinicius Jr.
Abdullateef Fowewe
Vinicius Junior has defended his role in Brazil’s controversial penalty decision after the Selecao’s shock 1-2 loss to Norway in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 late Sunday.
Vinicius in an interview revealed that coach Carlo Ancelotti pre‑selected Bruno Guimarães to take spot kicks.
“It was Coach Ancelotti’s decision to give the penalty to Bruno.
“The coach chooses who will take the penalty kick beforehand. He chose Bruno. I was never selfish, I never wanted to be the top scorer of the competition, and that’s why Bruno took it.
“He shoots better penalties than me, and that’s why the coach chose him. That’s it. I never shied away from responsibility. Many people will say I didn’t want to take it, but I never hid. I take penalties for Real Madrid when the coach chooses me.”
The comments come after Bruno Guimarães saw his penalty saved by Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland early in the match — a moment that proved pivotal as Brazil failed to recover and were eliminated.
Reacting to the penalty criticism, Ancelotti noted that Vini Jr was not even in top 5 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.
“Bruno in our view was the best on the pitch.”
Fans immediately questioned why Vinicius, one of Brazil’s most dangerous attackers, did not step up.
Ancelotti’s camp says the selection was based on pre‑match analysis and penalty conversion statistics, with Bruno ranked ahead of Vinicius in the team’s internal order.
Vinicius’ statement sought to counter suggestions that he avoided responsibility or acted from ego, stressing that the choice was tactical and coach‑driven.
The defeat ends Brazil’s 2026 World Cup campaign.
Post‑match fallout looks set to focus on tactical decisions and penalty protocol as the team and coaching staff assess what went wrong in a tournament exit that surprised supporters.
