- Bruno Guimaraes missed a penalty as Brazil lost 2-1 to Norway in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup
- Gabriel Martinelli has completed a £60million move from Arsenal to Al-Hilal after seven years at the club, according to agent Marcos Casseb
- Arsenal’s seven-match winning run ended with a 3-0 defeat at Brighton, with Mikel Arteta reportedly agreeing a new contract to stay until 2030
Key facts: Guimaraes, Martinelli and Arteta details
Brazil’s World Cup ended with one missed penalty, and it has followed Bruno Guimaraes home. Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the last 16, and Guimaraes missed the spot-kick that could have forced extra time. The moment has shaped talk of Bruno Guimaraes Arsenal since his summer move from Newcastle.
Gabriel Martinelli’s departure carries its own number. Agent Marcos Casseb says Al-Hilal paid £60million to sign him from Arsenal. The deal closed seven years after Martinelli arrived in north London as an 18-year-old.
Arsenal’s week had already turned sour before any of this broke. The Gunners lost 3-0 at Brighton last Saturday, a result that snapped a seven-match winning run. Reports in the same week suggested Arteta had agreed fresh terms to stay at the club until 2030. Arsenal have not confirmed that extension.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bruno Guimaraes: how it happened
Martinelli’s exit closed a chapter that began when he signed for Arsenal as a teenager. Casseb summed it up plainly: “His time at Arsenal has come to an end. It was seven years; he arrived there at 18 years old.” He added that his client wanted a change. Martinelli, he said, “needed and he also wanted to clear his head a bit, to change scenery” before the move to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
Guimaraes went the other way. He joined Arsenal from Newcastle this summer as Arteta reshaped his midfield. His World Cup then ran through Brazil’s last-16 tie with Norway, a game Brazil needed to win. They lost 2-1 after Guimaraes missed from the spot.
Full detail on both moves, including the quotes from Guimaraes and Casseb, is available in our full report on the quotes.
The expert angle: scars, penalties and a fresh start
Guimaraes has since explained why the miss cut so deep. “Moving on from what happened, obviously it’s a wound, a scar, it’s very recent, it still hurts me, it still hurts a lot that this happened. But it’s part of football,” he said.
He was also careful to take responsibility away from a team-mate who faced criticism after the game. “Vini (Vinicius Junior) wasn’t the designated penalty taker. I was the one who should have taken the penalty. I took the penalty, I missed, I could have scored. That’s part of football. We’re sad about the criticism of Vini, but it was my turn to take it,” Guimaraes said.
He has not asked to be spared the next one. “May I learn from my mistakes. Often you learn from victory, but normally we learn from defeat, from what didn’t work out. I will continue my daily struggle, my dreams… If there’s another penalty and it’s awarded to me, I won’t hide, I’ll take it again a thousand times, because representing this shirt means a lot to me, it’s always been my biggest dream,” he said. Arteta will want that attitude from a midfielder who now carries more responsibility with Martinelli gone.
What happens next for Mikel Arteta’s squad
For Bruno Guimaraes Arsenal fans, the penalty story now sits alongside a real test in Arteta’s midfield rebuild. The 3-0 loss at Brighton showed the squad can still be picked apart on a bad day, even after seven straight wins.
Martinelli’s exit leaves a gap on the left of attack. Arteta must manage that gap for the rest of the season. Arsenal have not confirmed the transfer fee or set out any replacement plan beyond what Casseb has said.
Selection and injury news ahead of the next match, after the defeat at Brighton, is being tracked in the latest team news updates.
If the reports of a new deal to 2030 hold up, Arteta gets time to work through both changes. He has a World Cup penalty-taker back in his ranks. He also has a squad reshaped without Martinelli for the first time in seven years.
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