Dorival blames himself for Brazil's sluggish performances

Brazil coach Dorival Junior took responsibility for the 1-0 defeat to Paraguay and admitted that his side lacked "many things" to come out of the match on matchday eight of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

"We lacked a lot of things. I'm responsible for that and I don't want to single out any player," the 62-year-old coach told a post-match press conference at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion.

He said that with fifth place in the standings and just 10 points from a possible 24, they must work and need "much more to be able to reach the superlative level" that is always demanded of the ‘Selecao’.

"It's not simple, it's not easy, but we have to intensify our work so that we can quickly find that path," he said. Just before match, coach had declared to preview Brazil as finalists in WC 2026.