Ancelotti brushes aside Neymar questions after Brazil's loss against France

Neymar sat out the match after the 34 year old skipped a recent Santos FC fixture due to muscle tiredness, a game that Ancelotti had intended to attend personally as part of his evaluation before announcing the squad.

"At this moment we need to focus on the players who were present, who took part, who put in maximum effort, who demonstrated resilience, who laboured tirelessly. I am pleased," Ancelotti stated to the media.

"I reckon Raphinha did an outstanding job. He felt some muscular unease at the close of the first half and we had to take him off, yet he generated plenty of chances and fine off the ball positioning.

"And Vini (Vinicius Jr.) keeps pushing; he always creates an impact. A forward does not score on every occasion, but the efforts from both were solid."

Neymar, holding the record as Brazil's highest scorer with 79 goals, has been absent from the national team since a severe knee problem in October 2023 and has battled to achieve a steady sequence of appearances since coming back to Santos last year.

Ancelotti has often indicated that the forward remains an option provided he achieves full fitness. Regardless of the setback and Neymar's omission, the Italian coach mentioned that the display strengthened his conviction in the team's prospects.

"I believe this encounter confirms for me that we can take on the world's elite sides. There is no uncertainty about that," Ancelotti commented.

Brazil will play Croatia next on March 31st in Orlando prior to the World Cup from June 11th to July 19th in North America.