SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s soccer fans were silent at home after Croatia eliminated the national team from the World Cup. on Friday.
The atmosphere in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro was festive at first after Neymar put Brazil ahead after extra time. But then everything turned bleak after the Croats equalized and then won a penalty shootout in Qatar.
Wearing a giant hat in the yellow and green colors of Brazil, engineer Sergio Faria, 34, watched the match in a bar in downtown Sao Paulo. He said that he was calm at kick-off, certain that Brazil and Argentina would meet in the semifinals.
“It is the most uncomfortable feeling. Croatia shot on goal once, Brazil wasted so many chances. It’s the strangest elimination from Brazil I can remember,” Faria said. “But I still don’t understand why our coach Tite chose Vinicius Junior over Antony. I don’t know why Neymar wasn’t the first to take a penalty in the shootout. I don’t see why Brazil wasn’t more aggressive”.
Rodrygo and Marquinhos missed their shots in the penalty shootout. Tite, who had already announced he would step down after six years as soon as Brazil’s campaign in Qatar ended, told a news conference that Neymar was expected to take the fifth and final penalty.
But Brazil and Neymar didn’t go that far, with Croatia winning the penalty shootout 4-2.
Neyla Berle, 56, was crying after the game. The hardcore fan was sitting on the sidewalk in the bohemian Vila Madalena district, where bars were expected to play samba music late into the night if Brazil had passed.
“We need a foreign coach to fight for the titles again. We thought Tite was our best and he delivered another dud. I can’t believe we allowed Croatia to score on a counter when we were minutes away from the semi-final,” he said. “Brazil could have prevented this.”
At the official fan festival in Sao Paulo, the atmosphere was solemn. Giovana Arcanjo, 22, was upset not only by herself, but also by the crying of her daughter Ana Luiza.
“It was very emotional and sad. She had high expectations. The lock screen of her cell phone was the World Cup trophy, the cover image of her phone was the players. We thought the sixth title was coming, but it was not like that”, said Arcanjo.
Copacabana beach was also one of the places where tens of thousands of Brazil fans watched the game. Lucas Santos, 45, was there with his two sons, Eduardo and Henrique, ages 10 and 13. Both boys were excited about Brazil’s young players and hoped they would bring home the country’s first World Cup title since 2002. They will have to wait for another chance in 2026.
“I saw Brazil win two World Cup titles, but it hurts to watch it with your kids, I hope they can watch the same thing, and then it doesn’t work. I blame the coach more than these players, because many of them will be there for another two World Cups and will mature”, Santos said. “Tite brought a lot of forwards, but this match was for midfielders and we fell short.”
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