Arsenal duo Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes could do little as Brazil crashed out of the World Cup against Norway this evening.
Erling Haaland’s double ensured a late penalty from Neymar meant nothing for the Brazilians.
Martinelli and Gabriel will now head home for some recovery after a long old season and they’ll be encouraged by Mikel Arteta to rest up and get ready for next season’s title defence.
As for their performances for the Brazilian national side against Norway, it seems the media over in Brazil wasn’t overly impressed.
Brazilian media react to Martinelli and Gabriel’s performance v Norway
It was by no means a classic performance from Brazil and Martinelli and Gabriel were no better or worse than anyone on the field.
Gabriel was picked out by Gary Neville for his role in Haaland’s goal, but in the main he could do nothing.
Speaking about defender Gabriel, it wasn’t a good write up for the Arsenal man.
“He ended up getting the worst of it in the long-awaited duel with Haaland, when he was overcome from the top in the dispute with the number nine. At the end of the first half he had already been outplayed in a dispute with the striker, which resulted in a dangerous shot by Odegaard,” El Globo wrote on Gabriel, giving him a mere 4.5 rating out of ten.
Should Arsenal use Gabriel Martinelli in a deeper role next season like Carlo Ancelotti did?
As for Martinelli, he fared slightly better from El Globo, with a rating of six.
“Chosen to replace Lucas Paquetá, he was between the left lane and the center of the attack, alternating at times with Vini. He played a tactical role when Brazil did not have the ball and also helped in the attack, such as in the 30th, when he gave a dangerous cross that almost led to a goal. He pulled against goals, made tables, but left the game without any shots.”
Interestingly, Martinelli played a deeper midfield role and he was doing quite well before Carlo Ancelotti took him off.
Of course, Martinelli faces an uncertain future at Arsenal and whether we’ve seen the last of him in a Gunners shirt, remains to be seen.
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