Brazil defender Marcelo has admitted that his country have been wounded by their quarter-final exit to Belgium at the 2018 World Cup.
The Selecao were seen as the favourites to win this summer’s competition in Russia, but failed to progress to the final four as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Belgium on Friday night.
Marcelo, who lifted his third straight Champions League title with Real Madrid at the end of last season, has said that “it was a horrible night” for Brazil, with the defeat “difficult to explain”.
Marcelo told Globo Esporte: “It hurts. It was a horrible night. It is difficult to explain. The result did not come for us. Football is sometimes unfair – sometimes it is in your favour, other times against you.
“We’ve created a family here. Everyone fought together, even those who did not play were backing us from the bench. We wanted so much to reach the final.”
Marcelo struggled with a back problem during the tournament in Russia, but played the full 90 minutes of Friday’s quarter-final with Belgium.