Olaleye IDOWU
Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has revealed why he did not play a first-half penalty against Norway in their last-16 clash at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday.
After Matheus Cunha was fouled in the area, Vinicius handed the ball over to Bruno Guimaraes.
However, Guimaraes saw his effort saved by Orjan Nyland.
Erling Haaland then netted twice in the second half to send Norway through to the quarterfinals.
“Ancelotti decided to give the penalty to Bruno,” Vinicius told reporters.
“The coach chooses who will take the penalty kick beforehand. He chose Bruno. I was never selfish; I never wanted to be the top scorer of the competition, and that’s why Bruno took it.
“He shoots better penalties than me, and that’s why the coach chose him. That’s it. I never shied away from responsibility.
“Many people will say I didn’t want to take it, but I never hid. I take on penalties for Real Madrid when the coach chooses me.”
