Bruno Guimarães Repeats Zico's Penalty Miss After Four Decades

Bruno Guimarães inadvertently became the protagonist of an unwelcome statistic for Brazil after missing a penalty in their World Cup Round of 16 clash against Norway. The midfielder failed to convert from the spot against the Scandinavian goalkeeper, ending a streak that had lasted a remarkable 40 years.

Guimarães thus became the first Brazilian player to miss a penalty for Brazil in regular time at a World Cup finals match since the legendary Zico. The last such incident dated back to the quarter-final against France at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

On June 21, 1986, Brazil and France played one of the most memorable matches in World Cup history. The game ended 1-1 after extra time, but just over a quarter of an hour before the end of regular time, Brazil had an excellent chance to take the lead. Zico, who had come on as a substitute just two minutes earlier, stepped up to the spot, but his shot was saved by French goalkeeper Joël Bats. Subsequently, the five-time world champions were eliminated after a penalty shootout, losing 3-4.

Bruno Guimarães' miss against Norway inevitably brought back memories of that dramatic evening in Guadalajara, despite the four decades separating the two incidents.

Brazilians will be hoping that Guimarães' miss does not carry the same heavy consequences as Zico's in 1986 – a match still considered one of the greatest in World Cup history.