Real Madrid News
Vinicius explains why he did not take Brazil’s crucial penalty against Norway: ‘This shows I have not been selfish’
Brazil’s hopes of ending their long wait for World Cup glory came crashing down after Erling Haaland and Norway inspired a stunning 2-1 victory over the Seleção in the Round of 16, with much of the post-match discussion centring around Vinicius Jr. and the penalty incident that unfolded at a crucial moment of the contest.
Haaland’s brace proved decisive as Brazil suffered a painful World Cup heartbreak, while questions emerged over why Vinicius did not take Brazil’s penalty when the score remained level at 0-0.
Instead, Bruno Guimaraes stepped up from the spot, only to see his effort saved by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, leaving many wondering whether the outcome could have been different.
Vinicius explains penalty decision
The defeat marked another frustrating chapter for Vinicius Jr,’s World Cup ambitions, with the Real Madrid forward facing intense scrutiny following Brazil’s exit.
Speaking after Brazil was knocked out by Norway at the World Cup, the winger made it clear that the penalty decision was not his own and insisted he simply followed instructions from the coaching staff.
“Why didn’t I take the penalty? Because it was the manager’s decision. I never hide or shirk my responsibilities.
“At Real Madrid, whenever the manager asked me to, I took them. Here, I followed the decision that had been made.
“This shows that I haven’t been selfish or acted in bad faith by seeking the spotlight,” he said, as per SPORT.
The Brazilian international also defended his teammate Bruno Guimaraes and urged supporters not to judge him solely because of the missed opportunity.
“I hope that Bruno Guimaraes’s career with the Brazilian national team isn’t marred by this mistake.”
Vinicius backs Ancelotti
Despite the criticism aimed at the coaching decisions, Vinicius backed Carlo Ancelotti and remains fully supportive of the Italian manager.
Speaking about the Brazil coach, the Real Madrid attacker emphasised the confidence he continues to receive from his coach.
“He’s a manager who gives me a lot of confidence.”
The Brazilian also admitted the defeat represented a huge setback for a country desperate to return to the summit of international football.
“We have to move on. I can only apologise to our ‘torcida’, who always believed in us and stood by us.
“There’s a lot of frustration because the Seleção haven’t won for a long time.”
Looking ahead, Vinicius maintained an optimistic outlook regarding the future of the national team. He explained,
“We younger players are going to carry on and do everything we can to take the Seleção to the top,” he concluded.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
