'The cycle is over' - Tite indicates his Brazil reign is done after Croatia loss

Tite suggested his time as Brazil coach is over but defended his penalty tactics after they crashed out of the World Cup to Croatia. Marquinhos' decisive spot kick hit the post after Dominik Livakovic had saved Rodrygo's opening effort in the shootout to send Croatia into the last four with Neymar never getting a chance to step up. Croatia did not miss with Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Luka Modric, Mislav Orsic all scoring to send them through 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. Neymar had given Brazil the lead in the first-half of extra time - the Paris St Germain star equalling Pele's Brazil scoring record with 77 FIFA-registered goals - only for Bruno Petkovic to level with three minutes left. But it was heartbreak for Neymar and Brazil with the striker due to go fifth in the shootout, yet there was no regret from Tite. He said: "The fifth is the decisive one, there is more pressure and the players who are more mentally prepared are the ones to take this last penalty kick. "The players know about my commitment and they know how proud I am of their performance. It's the entire team who loses.

"We need to be ready to share our joy and willing to share our sadness. There is a new generation of players who will find strength in adversity. I understand I am the most responsible one but we are all responsible for the loss. "It's not about being a hero or a villain. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose." Tite hinted he is ready to walk away following Brazil's exit. "There are other great professionals who can replace me. Now I had the full (World Cup) cycle. The cycle is over," he added.

'People were saying this is a great Brazil team. Samba football. But it showed today that it's nowhere near a great Brazil