What went wrong for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup despite being one of the best?

Brazil’s World Cup hopes ended after their penalty shootout defeat against Croatia in the quarter finals of the 2022 edition. The South American giants were one of the favourites to lift the title heading into the tournament. 

They are the number 1 ranked side in the world by FIFA, and have one of the best squad depths in the entire world. Their performance during the group stage, as well as the game against South Korea, was nothing short of brilliant. But, they were not able to overcome a resolute Croatian side to advance to the last four. 

Brazil eliminated despite being one of the best sides in the world 

The 2022 edition of the World Cup has had surprises and shocks at every turn. And Brazil going out against Croatia was surely one of them. Dominik Livakovic turned up to deny Rodrygo and Marquinhos from the spot. 

Their thrilling and fluid attacking output which was present against South Korea was not to be found against Croatia due to their tight defending. And despite being one of the best in the world, they have been knocked out. 

The likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Richarlison and Antony are all young and will only mature into better footballers. On the other hand, this was probably the last time for veterans like Thiago Silva, Neymar, Dani Alves and Casemiro. 

While the World Cup dream might be over for Brazil at the 2022 edition, the 2026 edition will also see the Selecao as one of the top teams. However, they will be without their seasoned veterans who could add a lot of leadership and stability to the squad.