Why did Brazil hire Carlo Ancelotti? The Italian coach will fulfill the country's dream of winning another World Cup. 

But Brazil's poor World Cup performance continued on Sunday and it was just as painful. Erling Haaland's two goals helped Norway beat Brazil in the last 16 at MetLife Stadium. 

Bruno Guimaraes' early penalty kick could have been a different story. Neymar did convert a penalty late in the game, but it was little more than a consolation. It's hard to believe that a team like Brazil had only 34 percent possession of the ball against Norway. This is the first time Brazil has been eliminated from the tournament so quickly since 1990. 

The former Real Madrid and AC Milan coach was appointed in May last year. He recently extended his contract until 2030. Perhaps he also knew that it was impossible for Brazil to win this World Cup, but he did not expect his team to be eliminated so soon. 

Despite all this, he will remain in charge. He said after the game, ‘With a loss, another new journey begins. We must not stop our hard work and continue to improve the team’s performance. This is football, this is a game, we have to endure what happens in it. This is the fuel we need to move forward.’

Brazil had been trying for two years to make Ancelotti their coach, but nothing happened. Since Brazil was defeated by Croatia in the 2022 World Cup, it had been in a constant state of decline. Chichi left immediately after that World Cup and Fernando Diniz came in. He only lasted 6 games. Then it was Dorival Jr.’s turn. Under his leadership, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa America. He was fired in March last year. 

Ancelotti then took charge of the Brazilian team. Brazil finished fifth out of 10 teams in the South American World Cup qualifiers, but were only 10 points behind leaders Argentina.

Despite this, Brazil was expected to do well in this World Cup, but the team has suffered the same fate that has prevailed since the 2002 World Cup. Every time Brazil has faced a European opponent in the knockout stage since that World Cup, the South American team has lost.

Brazil has lost in the quarter-finals four times in the previous five World Cups. It has lost once in the semi-finals, a forgettable 7-1 defeat to Germany, which was held on home soil in 2014. If anything, the current defeat suggests that Brazil is going backwards rather than forwards. After all, the team has players like Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, and he turns 26 next week. 

Vinicius says, ‘There is no greater pain than being eliminated from the World Cup. But we cannot stop there. We have to move forward. There is nothing we can do in this situation.’

That means Brazil will now focus on the 2028 Copa America, and the tournament will be a chance for the team to prepare for the 2030 World Cup. When that opportunity comes, it will be 28 years since the country of a great player like Pele won a title. Ancelotti has a great record in European clubs, winning the European Champions League five times. But his relationship with the World Cup has not been a happy one. He was unable to play in the 1982 World Cup as a player due to injury. 

When Italy hosted the 1990 World Cup, the team he was part of lost to Argentina in the semi-finals. At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, the 35-year-old Ancelotti was assistant to head coach Ario Sacchi. That time, his team lost to Brazil in the final. Ancelotti's conclusion about this year's World Cup was, 'For us, this World Cup was neither the best nor the worst.'