Brazil media deliver Bruno Guimaraes verdict ahead of Newcastle United return as '1/10' West Ham star slammed
Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes and Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw with Tunisia ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
Bruno Guimaraes has established himself as an influential member of the Brazil national team under the management of Carlo Ancelotti in recent months.
The Newcastle United midfielder has been ever-present in the Brazil side and is set to play a key role for his country at next summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
During the international break, Brazil played two friendly matches against Senegal at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and against Tunisia in Lille on Tuesday night. After cruising to a 2-0 win over Senegal, Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Tunisia.
Hazem Mastouri opened the scoring for Tunisia before Estevao equalised from the penalty spot before half-time. Guimaraes started the match before being replaced by West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta on the hour mark.
Paqueta went on to miss a late penalty in the game as the match ended 1-1.
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Brazilian media deliver Bruno Guimaraes verdict after Brazil 1-1 draw
After being handed an ‘impressive’ verdict and a 7.5/10 rating by Globo Esporte following his display against Senegal, Guimaraes wasn’t quite as influential on Tuesday evening.
The same Brazilian outlet this time handed Guimaraes a score of 6/10, the joint-fourth highest rating. Eder Militao and Rodrygo scored 6.5/10, while penalty scorer Estevao received a 7/10 rating.
Paqueta was criticised for his penalty miss and was handed a 4.5/10 rating as a result, though the supporter vote was far less forgiving, as he was given a 1.1/10 rating. Guimaraes was handed a 4.8/10 average rating from Globo Esporte readers.
On Guimaraes’ performance, Globo commented: “He wasn’t as influential as in other matches during the Ancelotti era. He offered many options through the middle with positioning between the lines and attempts to infiltrate, but there were many players in front of the Tunisian penalty area, which made it very difficult for them to attack down that flank.”
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Bruno Guimaraes on Brazil’s World Cup chances
Guimaraes represented Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as they reached the quarter-finals only to be knocked out on penalties by Croatia.
And after several underwhelming World Cup performances since the 2002 victory in South Korea and Japan, Brazil are hoping to make an impact in North America next summer.
“Since Ancelotti arrived, he fixed what for me was the main issue,” Guimaraes said during the international break. “We were conceding too many goals. The Brazilian national team cannot concede so many goals like we were suffering. He organised everything. I think we now have much more confidence to play with him. He gave confidence to everyone.
“Brazil, every time you ask anyone, arrives as a favourite. The country with the most World Cups will always be one of the favourites. But I think we’re on a very good upward path, and I hope we can arrive there and win, not only be the favourite. This time we want to consolidate and put the sixth star on the chest.”