Brazil will bounce back after World Cup exit, says Ancelotti

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has declared that the national team's painful exit from the World Cup in the last 16 is not an end but the "start of a new cycle." The team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Norway in their round of 16 match, a result that extends Brazil's wait for a sixth World Cup title beyond a quarter of a century.

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Obviously, everyone is deeply disappointed, considering what happened. I don’t think we have had a spectacular World Cup, but we had a good one. I think we even deserved to win the game today.

Ancelotti acknowledged the deep disappointment following the loss but insisted that the tournament, while not spectacular, was a "good one." He felt the team even merited a victory in the match, which was decided by two late goals from Norway's Erling Haaland after Brazil's Bruno Guimaraes missed an early penalty. Neymar's successful injury-time spot-kick proved to be insufficient consolation.

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You have to digest a defeat like this. This has been a new adventure. Now we need to keep earning our places, keep trying to improve.

"You have to digest a defeat like this. This has been a new adventure. Now we need to keep earning our places, keep trying to improve," said Ancelotti, who was appointed just over a year ago with the mandate to lead Brazil to a record sixth World Cup title. He dismissed any suggestions of stepping down, stating, "I don’t think this is the end. I think this is the start of a new cycle."

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I don’t think this is the end. I think this is the start of a new cycle.

Star forward Vinicius Junior echoed the sentiment of sadness, calling it "a very sad day." He acknowledged that being knocked out of a World Cup is always a significant blow. "Unfortunately, football is like that; we're not always going to win. I know it's been a long time since we've won, the people want joy back, but it wasn't this time," he said.

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Being knocked out of a World Cup is always a huge blow. We still haven’t really analysed the game because of everything a match like this involves, with a World Cup spot on the line, but now we have to move on.