Ancelotti Explains His Decision to Take Penalty Duty from Chelsea’s Estêvão During Brazil–Tunisia Draw
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has shed light on the controversial call to remove Chelsea winger Estêvão Willian as penalty taker during his country’s 1–1 friendly draw with Tunisia.
Estêvão had scored from the spot just before halftime to level the game, but when Brazil were awarded a second penalty in the second half, Ancelotti opted to hand the responsibility to Lucas Paquetá instead, a move that drew scrutiny after Paquetá missed.
Speaking after the match, Ancelotti said he made the change to “take some of the pressure off Estêvão,” explaining that Paquetá is usually his go-to penalty taker.
Estêvão later confirmed the decision had come down from the coach, calling it “an order.” He said he supported Paquetá taking the kick, but admitted he was disappointed not to get another shot, noting, “I really wanted to take it … but I trusted my teammate.”
Despite the missed second penalty, Ancelotti defended his decision as an act of careful man‑management. He suggested that putting too much responsibility on the young Chelsea star, especially in a friendly, could have had a negative impact if things went wrong.
The draw marked Brazil’s final match of 2025, and Ancelotti said there is still work to do before the World Cup, but expressed confidence in his squad’s potential.