Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has dismissed claims that he avoided taking a crucial penalty during his side’s 2-0 defeat to Norway in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The decisive moment came after Matheus Cunha was brought down inside the penalty area in the first half. Instead of stepping up himself, Vinicius handed the ball to Bruno Guimaraes, whose effort was saved by Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
Norway capitalized on the missed opportunity, with Erling Haaland scoring twice after the break to secure a 2-0 victory and book their place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the match, Vinicius insisted the decision was made by Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti before the game.
“It was Ancelotti’s decision to give the penalty to Bruno,” Vinicius said.
“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.”
The Real Madrid winger also maintained that he has never avoided taking responsibility, stressing that Guimaraes was selected because he is the stronger penalty taker.
“He shoots better penalties than me, and that’s why the coach chose him. That’s it. I never shied away from responsibility.”
Responding to criticism that he was unwilling to take the spot-kick, Vinicius added:
“Many people will say I didn’t want to take it, but I never hid. I take penalties for Real Madrid when the coach chooses me.”
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