Gabriel Martinelli broke Japanese hearts with a late, injury time goal with a sensational finish from inside of the box to help Brazil advance to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. La Selecao staged an outstanding comeback after going 1-0 down in the 1st half and it what was an electrifying 90 minutes or so at the Houston Stadium.
Brazil, well and truly, delivered a sucker punch in the 2nd half as their fluid attacking display left Japan stunned with the Blue Samurai chasing after the ball for better parts of the game. Carlo Ancelotti, who has had a decorated coaching career with several clubs in Europe, reached another step closer to World Cup glory and help La Selecao end their wait for a record 6th title.
When the match began, Japan were on the front foot, making several visits to the Brazilian box but lacked the attacking edge right from the start, even if they were the ones to break the deadlock and open the scoring through a brilliant counter-attack.
After winning possession deep in their own half, the Blue Samurai quickly transitioned the ball forward to Kaishu Sano. The midfielder drove fearlessly at the backtracking Brazilian defense, going past two defenders to create space.
From just outside the 18-yard box, Sano unleashed a powerful, low strike that went past Alisson Becker and into the bottom corner in the 29th minute. It was a superb solo effort that capped off a lightning-fast break to shock every single Brazilian inside the stadium.
However, head coach Carlo Ancelotti completely flipped the script in the 2nd half with his brilliant attacking approach. He understood that aging midfield lacked the speed and imagination to break down Japan’s disciplined block and therefore, he abandoned slow, central build-up play and stretched the pitch wide, shifting focus to rapid flank attacks and heavy crossing into the penalty box.
Ancelotti took the injured Lucas Paqueta off at the restart to introduce fresh attacking intent with the arrival of 19-year-old Endrick. Ancelotti also replaced Matheus Cunha with Gabriel Martinelli later on in the half.
The South Americans quickly triggered the comeback by pinning Japan in their own half with relentless pressure. The tactical shift to wide areas quickly paid off in the 56th minute. A pinpoint cross delivered by Gabriel Magalhaes from a corner kick was finished off by Casemiro who rose highest in the box and powered the ball inside with a header past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to level the scoring.
With the momentum fully in their favor, Brazil continued to dominate possession but the ultimate reward came deep into stoppage time when Gabriel Martinelli latched onto a late chance, squeezing a dramatic 96th-minute winner into the net to seal the victory and send the Brazilian fans into party mode.
The 5-time champions will await the winner of Ivory Coast and Norway who will face each other later today in Dallas.