Matheus Cunha has described Brazil's 2-1 defeat to Norway in the World Cup last-16 as the most difficult day of his professional life. The Manchester United forward played a key role for Brazil throughout the tournament but could not prevent their elimination at the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Haaland's Late Double Sinks Brazil
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, largely quiet for most of the match, struck twice in the 79th and 90th minutes to send Norway through. Brazil had taken the lead through a Bruno Guimaraes penalty in the first half, but former Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland saved the spot-kick. Neymar, making only his second appearance after a long injury layoff, scored a stoppage-time penalty – the final goal of his international career – but it was not enough to prevent their exit.
Neymar was visibly emotional on the pitch as he waved farewell, ending his journey with the Brazilian national team. Cunha, who started all but one match under Carlo Ancelotti, scoring three goals in five games, could not contain his disappointment after the match.
Cunha's Heartfelt Reaction
“Without a doubt, today must be the most difficult day of my life – professionally speaking,” Cunha admitted. “We had chances we didn’t convert, while they had chances and converted them. It's difficult to try and understand everything, but unfortunately that's part of football. There is a lot of sadness in the dressing room – a lot of crying, a lot of pain. The worst thing is that we frustrated a lot of people, and that's what hurts the most.”
Former Manchester United midfielder Casemiro also struggled to find words for the elimination. “It's tough to find words in this moment,” he added. “This is a dream when you start playing football. It's a dream for any Brazilian to win the World Cup. I have a lot of pride in what I am, what all the players have done here. We had the opportunity to kill the game but we didn't. They then had two shots and scored. We had chances to score but couldn't convert. In the second half, we dropped our lines a bit, and we shouldn't have dropped them. We could have been a bit sharper with the pressing. But it's hard to say now what we should have done.”
England Await in Quarter-Finals
Brazil missed the chance to meet England in the quarter-finals after Thomas Tuchel's side claimed a 3-2 win against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. Jude Bellingham scored twice, Harry Kane added another from the penalty spot, and Raul Jimenez netted a consolation goal for the hosts. Cunha will take some time off following the tournament before reporting for pre-season in Manchester, as will Casemiro, before joining his new teammates at Inter Miami.
