Barcelona star Raphinha is reportedly "furious" at Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti for playing him against Bolivia, with World Cup qualification already assured.
Brazil beaten by Bolivia at altitudeRaphinha brought on in second halfHits out after defeatFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Brazil ended their worst ever World Cup qualification campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Bolivia on Tuesday. The game was played at altitude in El Alto and saw Ancelotti opt to bring Raphinha off the bench just after the hour mark in a bid to avoid defeat. According to Diario Sport, the decision left Raphinha "furious" as the game was essentially meaningless and took a heavy physical toll, as the pitch is 4,150 meters above sea level.
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Ancelotti's decision is also unlikely to sit well with Barcelona, who will have been hoping their Brazilian star would have been handed a rest. Hansi Flick's side will also be well aware that Ancelotti decided against calling up Real Madrid stars Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Eder Militao for the latest round of fixtures, with qualification already assured. Meanwhile, Raphinha was said to be "tired, defeated… and extremely irritated" after the game and was very critical when he spoke to the media after the match.
WHAT RAPHINHA SAID
He told reporters afterwards: "From the moment a team makes you play at an altitude of 4,000 metres to win the game, I think that is quite detrimental to the other teams. And then, in a balanced match like the one we were playing, the referee invented a penalty. I think that complicates our game even more inside the camp."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?
Raphinha will now head back to Barcelona for Sunday's La Liga match against Valencia. However, given his efforts in midweek and the long journey back to Europe, it remains to be seen if he will take his usual place in Barcelona's starting XI for the match at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.