Italian soccer coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Thursday (Mar. 26), after the 2–1 loss to France in a World Cup warm-up friendly, that the Brazilian national team showed it can compete with the world’s best teams.

“Today’s game made it very clear to me: we can compete with the best teams in the world. I have no doubt. We played against a very strong, high-quality team and competed until the last minute to try to win. I am convinced that we will fight for the World Cup with all our energy,” said the Brazilian team’s coach after the match at Gillette Stadium in Boston.

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At the post-game press conference, the coach made it clear he was not satisfied with the result but highlighted the team’s fighting spirit: “When you lose a game, you should never be happy; we are not. The result isn’t the most important thing, but it shows what we did well and what we didn’t […]. In the overall context of the game, I’m satisfied because the team competed, fought hard, and scored from a set piece, which is important.”

When asked about the possibility of Neymar (who was not called up for the friendlies against France and Croatia) playing for the national team at the World Cup, the Italian stated it is the time to focus on the players currently with the squad: “Now we have to talk about those who are here, who played, who gave their all, who worked hard. I’m satisfied.”

The Brazilian national team will return to action next Tuesday (May 31), when it faces Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

After that, Brazil will face Panama on May 31 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Finally, on June 6, one week before its World Cup opener, the team will face Egypt in its final friendly before the tournament. The match will be played at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.