Neymar accused of putting 'his ego above Brazil's success' as Germany legend admits he's 'glad' Carlo Ancelotti's side crashed out of World Cup

Writing in his column for Sky Germany, Matthaus didn't soften his criticism of Brazil's exit, writing bluntly: "It pleases me that Brazil are out. I simply can't stand this moaning and gesticulating anymore." He directed his sharpest words at Neymar's conduct during the late penalty, arguing that the forward's antics exposed a deeper issue within the squad.

For Matthaus, that moment spoke volumes. "Instead of taking the penalty quickly, Neymar argued with the goalkeeper both before and after the shot. You can see from this behaviour that he puts his ego above the success of the team," he wrote.

The penalty itself found the net in the 10th minute of stoppage time, but by then Brazil trailed 2-1 following Erling Haaland's brace, and the goal did little more than tidy up the scoreline.

Norway defender Leo Ostigard conceded a second spot-kick of the match with a reckless elbow on Casemiro, yet rather than take it quickly to give his side any faint hope of a fightback, Neymar chose to remain locked in an extended exchange with Norway's goalkeeper both before and after placing his effort in the net.

By the time it went in – in the 10th minute of stoppage time – the contest had long been settled, reducing what should have been a moment of composure under pressure to little more than a personal send-off goal in a game already lost.

Matthaus then drew a pointed comparison with France, arguing their dressing room operates on entirely different principles. "It's completely different with the French," he said. "Even superstars like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele have understood that success only comes through team cohesion. In their 1-0 win against Paraguay, they pushed themselves to their limits."

The 2-1 victory sends Norway into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history, a run built on a dominant defensive display as much as Haaland's attacking threat. Goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, who currently plays without a club, was the standout performer of the first half, producing a string of crucial saves to keep the scoreline level before Haaland's double turned the tie in Norway's favour.

Matthaus revealed that Norway had been his secret pick to go deep in this World Cup even before a ball was kicked, saying: "Norway was my dark horse even before the World Cup. They dominated Italy twice in qualifying, and now they've knocked Brazil out of the tournament . They have exceptional players like Martin Odegaard, Bundesliga stars like Antonio Nusa, and a goal machine in Erling Haaland . But they also had a bit of luck and a superb goalkeeper who secured the victory."

Norway will now face England in the last eight, setting up a heavyweight clash between two of the tournament's form teams as the Scandinavian side's remarkable run continues.

Neymar has officially announced his international retirement, bringing down the curtain on a stellar career that leaves him as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer. Across 130 appearances for the Selecao, the forward racked up an extraordinary 80 goals and 59 assists. However, despite featuring in four separate tournaments, he steps away without securing the elusive sixth World Cup title for his country.