At the Round of 16 stage of the United States, Canada and Mexico FIFA World Cup, Brazil lost 1-2 to Norway and was eliminated from the tournament. After the match, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti attended the post-game press conference and explained his call to hand the penalty taking duty to Bruno Guimarães.
Reporter Question:
Why did you assign the penalty to Bruno Guimarães instead of Vinicius Júnior?
Carlo Ancelotti’s statement:
“We have compiled statistical data on both our own players and opposing players over the past year. Within the national team squad, Raphinha boasts the best penalty conversion record. Based on our pre-match rankings, the players prioritised to take penalties go Neymar, Igor Thiago, Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães, followed by Gabriel Martinelli. We ultimately picked Bruno Guimarães because we judged he was the most suitable player available on the pitch at that moment.”
