Cunha admits Brazil exit is hardest day of his life after Norway stun Ancelotti's side

Matheus Cunha admitted Brazil’s World Cup elimination is the hardest moment of his professional life after a 2-1 defeat to Norway in the last 16 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Thursday, ending Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s hopes of a quarter-final meeting with England.

The Manchester United forward won a penalty in the first half, but Bruno Guimaraes saw his effort saved by former Aston Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. Norway then absorbed pressure before Erling Haaland, quiet for much of the contest, struck twice in the 79th and 90th minutes to effectively seal the result. Neymar, making only his second appearance of the tournament after a lengthy injury layoff, converted a stoppage-time penalty — but it was not enough to prevent Brazil’s exit.

Neymar was visibly emotional on the pitch as he waved farewell to the national team, bringing his international career to a close. Cunha, by contrast, had been one of Brazil’s most consistent performers, starting all but one match and scoring three goals in five games.

“Without a doubt, today must be the most difficult day of my life — professionally speaking,” Cunha said after the final whistle. “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 echoed the sense of devastation in the Brazil camp. “It’s tough to find words in this moment,” he said. “This is a dream when you start playing football. It’s a dream for any Brazilian to win the World Cup. We had the opportunity to kill the game but we didn’t. They then had two shots and scored. In the second half, we dropped our lines a bit, and we shouldn’t have dropped them.”

Brazil’s elimination means they miss a quarter-final against England, who earlier beat Mexico 3-2 at the Azteca Stadium. Jude Bellingham scored twice, Harry Kane added a penalty, and Raul Jimenez netted a consolation for the hosts.

Cunha will take time off before returning to Manchester for pre-season, while Casemiro will link up with his new club Inter Miami after the tournament.