- Brazil suffered an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying
- The result means the Selecao have now lost four of their last five qualifying matches
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Vinicius Jnr has apologised to Brazil fans after their embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Paraguay on Tuesday.
It was Brazil’s fourth defeat in five qualifying matches for the South American (CONMEBOL) World Cup. The Seleção are now fifth in the group and were already eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa America last summer.
That came despite a strong line-up, featuring Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, Endrick and Vinicius in the front three, while the likes of Alisson, Bruno Guimaraes and Marquinhos also featured.
After the clash, which was decided by Diego Gomez’s first-half goal, Vinicius was disheartened and pleaded with fans to continue supporting the team.
“I want to apologize to the fans. I know it’s a difficult time, but we just want to get better,” the forward told Brazilian TV channel Globo.
Vinicius Jnr has apologised to Brazil fans after their embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Paraguay
Tuesday’s defeat was Brazil’s fourth in five World Cup qualifiers as the country continues to struggle
Real Madrid star Vinicius admitted it wasn’t good enough and asked fans to forgive the players
‘Matches in Europe are faster than here, the ball arrives faster because of the pitch, we have to adapt to play in the best way to win games.
“I want to ask the fans for forgiveness. I know it’s a complicated moment, but we’ll be back.”
The defeat continued Vinicius’s difficult spell for the national team, with the Real Madrid star scoring just five goals in 35 appearances despite scoring more than 20 goals for Los Blancos in each of the last three seasons.
The 24-year-old admitted he needed to do better but was confident he could get the difficult run back on track.
“I know my potential, (and) what I can do for the national team,” he added. “Of course it has been a very complicated process because if you don’t have confidence you don’t get goals.”
Meanwhile, Dorival Jnr took over as Brazil manager in January. Despite leading the side to a memorable victory over England in March, he has won just four of his 10 games as he struggles with form.
And PSG star Marquinhos, a veteran of 91 caps, admitted things are not looking rosy at the moment but insisted the players are determined to turn things around.
PSG star Marquinhos (right), a veteran of 91 caps, admitted that things are not looking great at the moment
Dorival Jnr has now won just four of his ten games since taking over as Brazil coach in January
“The coach is still trying to figure out how we can play best and that shows in the results,” he told Globo. “There are a lot of new players, we lack confidence.
‘Qualifying is not easy, it is a difficult time and we have to know how to deal with it. It is a time of transition, we do not feel confident.
“We are going to work hard, and getting results on the pitch is the best answer.”