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Germany great Lothar Matthaus has confessed that he felt relieved to see Brazil knocked out of the World Cup, accusing Neymar of prioritising his personal ego over the team’s ambitions during their round-of-16 defeat to Norway.

No sympathy for Neymar’s conduct

In his column for Sky Germany, Matthaus delivered a stinging critique of Brazil’s disappointing exit, stating bluntly: “It pleases me that Brazil are out. I simply can’t stand this moaning and gesticulating anymore.” He focused his harshest criticism on Neymar’s behaviour during the late penalty, suggesting that the forward’s actions reflected a deeper problem within the Brazilian camp.

Matthaus elaborated: “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.”

Although the penalty was successfully converted in the 10th minute of stoppage time, it came too late to change the outcome. Brazil still trailed 2-1 after Erling Haaland’s brace, and Neymar’s goal merely added cosmetic respectability to the scoreline.

Brazil’s frustration contrasted with Norway’s composure

Norway defender Leo Ostigard gave away a second penalty of the match with a reckless elbow on Casemiro. Rather than capitalising quickly to spark a late rally, Neymar lingered in an extended exchange with Norway’s goalkeeper before and after converting his spot-kick.

By the time the ball hit the back of the net – deep into stoppage time – the match was effectively over. What could have been a moment of calm leadership instead became a personal farewell goal in a game already lost.

Matthaus contrasted Brazil’s apparent lack of unity with France’s togetherness, saying: “It’s completely different with the French. Even superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele understand that success only comes through team cohesion. In their 1-0 win against Paraguay, they pushed themselves to their limits.”

Matthaus had faith in Norway’s potential

Norway’s 2-1 victory secured their first-ever appearance in a World Cup quarter-final, built on disciplined defending and Haaland’s clinical finishing. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, currently without a club, was instrumental in the first half, making several vital saves to keep the game level before Haaland’s double sealed the historic triumph.

Matthaus revealed that he had backed Norway as his surprise pick for the tournament’s breakout team even before the competition began. “Norway was my dark horse even before the World Cup,” he said. “They dominated Italy twice in qualifying, and now they’ve knocked Brazil out of the tournament. They have exceptional players like Martin Odegaard, Bundesliga talents like Antonio Nusa, and a goal machine in Erling Haaland. But they also had a bit of luck and a superb goalkeeper who secured the victory.”

Norway will now face England in the quarter-finals, setting up a high-profile clash between two of the tournament’s strongest sides as the Scandinavian underdogs continue their dream run.

Neymar’s World Cup dream ends unfulfilled

Neymar has officially announced his retirement from international football, closing the chapter on a remarkable career that saw him become Brazil’s all-time top scorer. Across 130 appearances for the Selecao, he scored 80 goals and provided 59 assists. Despite participating in four World Cup tournaments, he departs without achieving Brazil’s long-desired sixth title on the global stage.