Ancelotti reveals why Guimaraes took Brazil penalty

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended his decision to hand Bruno Guimaraes penalty duties in Monday's shock World Cup Round-of-16 defeat to Norway, insisting the call was backed by data rather than instinct.

Guimaraes saw his tame first-half spot-kick saved by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland in what proved to be one of the defining moments of Brazil's 2-1 defeat, a result that ended the Selecao's World Cup campaign before the quarter-finals for the first time since 1990.

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The decision to allow the Newcastle United midfielder to take the penalty surprised many supporters, particularly with Vinicius Junior in the starting XI.

Ancelotti, however, said the choice followed the team's statistical analysis.

"According to that, Neymar was the best person to take the penalty, and then Raphinha, Igor Thiago, and then Bruno," Ancelotti told reporters.

"So we chose him as we felt he was the best on the field. After Guimaraes, there was Martinelli."

Neither Neymar nor Raphinha -- two of Brazil's more established takers -- started the match, leaving Guimaraes as Brazil's highest-ranked available penalty taker according to the coaching staff's data.

Brazil controlled large spells of possession but struggled to unsettle a disciplined Norway defence, with Ancelotti explaining that his side deliberately resisted committing too many players forward.

"At the beginning it seemed to me we were a controlled team, we were creating opportunities," he said.

"It was difficult to put on too much pressure because Norway was locking its defence. Applying too much is a risk."

Neymar was introduced during the second-half cooling break to loud cheers from the crowd and injected urgency into Brazil's attack, but by then Norway had weathered the early pressure before Erling Haaland struck twice late on to stun the five-time world champions.

Neymar converted a stoppage-time penalty to reduce the deficit, but it proved nothing more than a consolation.

Despite the disappointing exit, Ancelotti refused to single out Guimaraes or dwell on the missed penalty.

Instead, the Italian acknowledged that Brazil must evolve, particularly in midfield.

"We need some young talent, we need some high-level players coming into Brazilian football," he said.

"I think we did a solid job, but that's football for you, that's sports. Sometimes you have to taste defeat."