Brazil have knocked Japan out of the World Cup after coming from a goal behind in a dramatic second half to win 2-1.
The Samba stars fell behind to a Kaishu Sano opener and were generally lackluster in a first half in which Japan posed more threat. However, mercurial manager Carlo Ancelotti made tweaks at half-time and Brazil were much better in the second half.
Goals from Casemiro and a 95th minute winner by Gabriel Martinelli sealed safe passage through to the last 16 for the five-time world champions.
Japan talent shines through but Brazil too big a hurdle
It was a first half full of promise by Japan, a team that has been set a target to win the World Cup by 2050 by the Japan Football Association. In the early stages of this contest, one might have been forgiven for thinking the Samurai Blue could move that deadline forward by a couple of decades or so.
Agile on the ball and intelligent off it, Japan were causing Brazil all kinds of issues, especially in midfield, where 34 year-old Casemiro, the eventual man of the match, was having a torrid time.
Japan took the lead in the 29th minute after midfielder Sano capitalized on a misplaced pass in midfield, driving forward before unleashing a right-footed strike from outside the penalty area that beat Brazil goalkeeper Alisson. It was a deserved lead.
Half-Time comes at right time for resurgent Brazil
Carlo Ancelotti is a wily fox, though, and the ex-Real Madrid manager clearly got into his charges at half-time. Quickly, the game became a one-way attacking affair, with wave after wave of yellow-shirt attacks, with particular focus on crossing the ball. Indeed, in the second half, they put in 28 crosses at an average of under two minutes per cross.
A miraculous save by Japanese keeper Zion Suzuki from a point-blank Casemiro header from one of those crosses was only enough to stem the relentless attacking tide for a moment or two. A deep cross by Arsenal defender Gabriel found the ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United man at the back post. This time, Casemiro made no mistake, powering a header in from three yards to bring parity for his side.
A would-be Puskas goal of the year contender from forward Vinicius Jr was denied by the exceptional Suzuki, with a fingertip save keeping the Real Madrid man out following a weaving run.
But Brazil were not to be stopped. Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli tucked away a tidy ball from Bruno Guimaraes in the 95th minute.
Brazil set for Norway or Ivory Coast
Brazil will face the winner of Tuesday’s round of 32 match between Ivory Coast and Norway. The match is scheduled for July 5 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake.
Brazil will be monitoring the fitness of veteran midfielder Casemiro, who appeared to suffer a leg injury late in the win over Japan and was forced off before full time. Their potential opponents also have injury concerns, with Norway defender Julian Ryerson ruled out of the Ivory Coast match because of a thigh injury, while coach Ståle Solbakken said his side would need to cope with the physical challenge posed by the African champions.
It’s been 24 years since the Seleção achieved immortality by winning the World Cup. They reached the semi-finals on home soil in 2014 before suffering a historic 7-1 defeat to Germany, and have since been eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.