After struggling to find their footing in the early minutes of the Round of 16 matchup against Norway, Brazil earned a penalty to take a 1-0 lead. However, against all odds, it was Bruno Guimaraes who stepped up to the spot, not Vinicius Jr. After Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland denied Guimaraes’ poorly taken penalty, the decision not to have Vini take it only proved to be a bad one.
It was Brazil’s first penalty of the 2026 World Cup, so no one really knew who would take it, but most signs suggested it would be Vinicius Jr., even though he’s missed key penalties before for both club and country. Guimaraes may not have been on many fans’ bingo cards.
During the broadcast, journalist Ariel Senosiain of TyC Sports reported a member of Brazil’s coaching staff revealed before the game that Guimaraes would be the designated penalty-taker for the Selecao. Perhaps one of Carlo Ancelotti, Bruno Guimaraes, or Vinicius Jr. will confirm it after the game. Whether they do so in victory or defeat, only time will tell.
Guimaraes made little sense
According to Transfermarkt, Guimaraes has scored only three penalties in his entire career. He had been perfect from the spot, having scored every attempt until his misstep against Norway, but his sample size was still too small.
Bruno Guimarães' penalty is SAVED by Norway keeper Ørjan Nyland 😱 pic.twitter.com/bDhRnI975R
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 5, 2026
Hindsight is 20/20, and Brazil may see his penalty-taking ability every day in training, but considering the goalscorers on the team, Guimaraes’ selection made little sense as he lined up before the ball. After seeing how he took his chance to score his first goal at the 2206 World Cup, it made even less sense.
Matheus Cunha would’ve made more sense, considering he drew the foul inside the box. Still, it was the midfielder who grabbed the ball and took the shot. His mid-height effort was read like a book by Nyland, and Norway steered clear of a disastrous start to the elimination game.
Cunha is fouled, Guimaraes shoots, but Nyland makes the save.
Vinicius’ stats from the spot
As for Vinicius Jr., he’s had some very questionable attempts from the penalty spot over the years. Still, he’s also scored some very important penalties. Per Transfermarkt, Vini has scored 13 penalties and missed six. That means he has a 68.4% conversion rate from the spot. Looking only at his penalties for Brazil, his numbers drop.
Vinicius has converted just one of the three penalties (33.3%) he has taken for his national team, which came in a friendly against Guinea. His misses came against Venezuela (2026 World Cup qualifiers) and Chile (international friendly). Perhaps those previous misses cast a long shadow Vinicius didn’t want to face against Norway at the 2026 World Cup.
