A day after Norway beat Brazil 2-1 to knock them out of the World Cup, German football legend Lothar Matthäus has publicly celebrated their elimination and criticised Brazil forward Neymar for his behaviour during the match.
In a column for Sky Germany, Matthäus expressed zero sympathy for the five-time world champions, bluntly writing, “It pleases me that Brazil are out… I simply can’t stand this moaning and gesticulating anymore.”
Matthäus was particularly critical of Neymar’s conduct during his late penalty. In the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time, with Brazil trailing 2-0 following an Erling Haaland brace, Norway defender Leo Ostigard conceded a penalty with a reckless elbow on Casemiro. Neymar converted but engaged in a time-wasting dispute with the Norwegian goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.
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For Matthäus, that moment spoke volumes. “Instead of taking the penalty quickly, Neymar argued with the goalkeeper both before and after the shot. You can see from this behaviour that he puts his ego above the success of the team.”
Any faint hopes of a second Brazil goal had already faded away, and as time ran out, Neymar’s penalty served only as a personal send-off — after the match, he announced his retirement from the national team.
This is not the first time Matthäus has publicly condemned the Brazilian forward. During the 2018 World Cup, he had criticised Neymar’s tendency to dive and produce theatrical reactions to fouls.
“Neymar does not need it. He is an excellent player, one of the five best players in the world. Why does he need the acting? It does not bring him sympathy. Diego Maradona was not acting, Lionel Messi is not acting. We need players like Neymar but not the acting.”
Norway ‘dark horses’ for the title
While Brazil will face a bitter autopsy of their campaign, Norway will play in the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the nation’s history, and Matthäus revealed he was backing the Scandinavian side as the ‘dark horses’ for the trophy.
“Norway was my dark horse even before the World Cup. They dominated Italy twice in qualifying, and now they’ve knocked Brazil out of the tournament. They have exceptional players like Martin Ødegaard, Bundesliga stars like Antonio Nusa, and a goal machine in Erling Haaland… They also had a bit of luck and a superb goalkeeper who secured the victory.”
Norway will battle England for a semifinal berth, marking a reunion between former Borussia Dortmund teammates Haaland and Jude Bellingham, and a face-off between Arsenal captain Ødegaard and vice-captain Declan Rice.
