Vinícius Júnior apologized to Brazilian fans after the 1-0 defeat in Paraguay in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday and admitted that it was a “difficult time” for the national team.
The defeat in Asunción leaves Brazil in fifth place in the CONMEBOL rankings with just ten points from eight games – behind Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay and Ecuador.
Vinícius started the game alongside Real Madrid teammates Rodrygo and Endrick, but the trio were unable to respond after Diego Gómez put Paraguay ahead in the 20th minute.
“We apologize to the fans who are always on our side,” Vinicius told Sportv. “But this is a difficult time, we just want to improve… I know my potential, I know what I can do for the national team. Of course, it was a very difficult process because when you don’t have confidence, you don’t get goals, you don’t get assists, you don’t get good performances.”
“I know what I can improve. I know what I stand for. If I get better, I give everyone else a lot of peace of mind. I know my responsibilities, I want to improve as quickly as possible.”
The six best nations in the CONMEBOL qualification qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup, the seventh-placed team enters the playoffs.
Brazil are fifth in the table, ahead of Venezuela on goal difference and one point ahead of seventh-placed Paraguay.
“It’s totally different (from playing for Real Madrid),” Vinícius said. “Games in Europe are different, the ball goes faster from one side (of the pitch) to the other… We have to know how to adapt so that everyone plays better so that we can win games.”
“We know the situation we are in and we want to get Brazil out of this situation at all costs. We all have to go home now and think about what we can do to play well again. We can’t come here, lose these points and play like we did before. It’s a difficult time, we have to take all the criticism to heart and come back as soon as possible to put Brazil at the top.”
Dorival Junior – who took over as Brazil coach in January this year after Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz served as interim coaches following Tite’s departure after the 2022 World Cup – took responsibility for his team’s defeat.
“You fight for your best and that doesn’t always work,” said Dorival. “I could feel it. Not just with Viní. The way the first half went, we missed a lot, and I’m responsible for that.”
“I don’t want to punish any player, but we have to work and understand that we need more to reach the level we all want… From the moment we conceded the goal, we lost ourselves. Everything that was built up until the end of the first half, we gave up. It was the worst half since we’ve been here.”
Brazil next plays away at Chile on October 11 before hosting Peru five days later.
Dorival did not want to speculate about Neymar’s return to the national team as he is recovering from a ligament injury in his knee.
“He must first return to his club (Al Hilal),” said the coach. “Until then there is nothing to do. We stay in touch, try to understand Neymar’s situation and hope for his recovery, but we have to wait.”
