Vinicius Junior, Brazil forward and Real Madrid star, apologized to the 'Seleção' fans for the 'huge disappointment' caused by the Round of 16 exit in the World Cup, vowing to 'fight' to bring the team back to the top. The five-time world champions, seeking their first title since 2002, were eliminated on Sunday after losing 2-1 to Norway at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. In a message to Brazilian fans on Instagram, Vinicius said: 'I know very well how prepared and focused I was; I wanted to win the World Cup for you...'

Although Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti fell short of expectations, the 25-year-old forward shone, scoring four goals with an assist during the tournament. Vinicius accompanied his message with a black-and-white photo of himself collapsed on the pitch after the loss to Norway at MetLife Stadium. In this match, which Brazil entered as favorites, they were particularly affected by Bruno Guimarães, the Newcastle midfielder, missing a penalty that was saved by the Norwegian goalkeeper when the score was still 0-0. Vinicius had been heavily criticized for tasking Guimarães with that duty, before defending his decision, stating that the midfielder is better at taking penalties than him. In this World Cup, the five-time world champions recorded their worst result in the finals since 1990 in Italy, when they were eliminated in the same round. Their last of a record five World Cup titles came in the 2002 tournament in South Korea-Japan. As for coach Ancelotti, who extended his contract until 2030 before the World Cup, he remained in his position despite sharp criticism from some former team stars, led by Romário, who called for his resignation.