"Our players were nervous..." Ancelotti in a battle of wits with angry Brazilian media... On the question, "Does a five-time champion get nervous?" he replied, "We will improve."

*This content was translated by AI.

Brazil is facing fierce criticism from its own fans and media for failing to win against Morocco in the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup.

On the 14th (Korea time), NBC News reported, "Brazil showed a disappointing performance in its first World Cup match, and coach Carlo Ancelotti is facing harsh criticism from Brazilian media and fans."

In the Group C first-round match held at New Jersey Stadium in New York, USA, on that day, Brazil narrowly drew 1-1 with Morocco thanks to a goal by Vinicius Junior.

The media reported, "Thousands of Brazilian fans who visited the stadium wore fluorescent yellow uniforms and cheered enthusiastically. They sang songs and waved flags even on the train coming from Manhattan. However, after 90 minutes of back-and-forth play ended in a 1-1 draw, the atmosphere turned cold. One fan, leaving the stadium, harshly criticized the performance as 'terrible.'"

During the post-match press conference, Brazilian media also strongly pressured coach Ancelotti. The media reported, "Reporters intensely questioned the starting lineup, substitution timing, and tactical decisions." In response, coach Ancelotti replied, "The result of the first match does not determine the World Cup championship."

In fact, Brazil's first-half performance was far from that of the world's strongest team. Morocco gained the upper hand by leveraging speed and eventually conceded the opening goal to Ismaila Sarr. The media also reported, "Except for Vinicius Junior, Brazil retreated defensively and struggled."

In the second half, Brazil launched attacks centered around Vinicius and had chances in the middle of the half but ultimately failed to score a go-ahead goal. After Vinicius drew in the defense, he made a decisive pass to Hafnia, whose non-stop shot headed straight at the goalkeeper. The media explained the situation at the time, "When the opportunity was lost, Vinicius looked dejected, and Neymar, who was sitting on the bench due to injury, held his head in his hands."

After the match, when asked about Brazil's World Cup competitiveness, coach Ancelotti replied, "The team was nervous at the beginning and lost possession, struggling. Things improved in the second half, and we will develop further in the next match." When the question followed, "Does a five-time World Cup champion get nervous?" he calmly answered, "Of course, there is a great burden, but we will gradually improve."

The media reported, "Coach Ancelotti, who has managed top European clubs such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich before taking charge of the Brazil national team, is acutely aware of the unprecedented pressure the Brazil team is facing."

Coach Ancelotti emphasized, "I am neither disappointed nor satisfied with the result. In football, nothing can be perfect. We will accept the criticism and show a better performance starting from the next match."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.