Newsletters
Gabriel Martinelli curled in a 96th-minute winner to send Brazil into the FIFA World Cup last 16 with a 2-1 comeback victory over Japan at NRG Stadium on Monday, sparing Carlo Ancelotti's side an embarrassing early exit after a disjointed first-half display in front of 68,777 fans.
Kaishu Sano punished a Danilo giveaway to put Japan ahead before the half-hour mark, and the five-time world champions struggled badly to break down a compact Japanese defensive structure in the opening 45 minutes.
But Casemiro's back-post header leveled the match midway through the second half, before Martinelli, on as a substitute, bent a precise finish past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki deep into stoppage time after being released by Bruno Guimaraes to seal a dramatic victory.
Brazil will now face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the round of 16.
The contest began ominously for Ancelotti's side. Danilo, caught in possession in midfield on 29 minutes, watched helplessly as Sano picked up the loose ball and powered 40 yards down the pitch past a retreating Casemiro before firing past Alisson Becker from outside the box. It was Sano's first international goal, and it came at the most decisive of moments.
Brazil had dominated early possession, at one point controlling 82 percent of the ball, but created precious little with it. Their two first-half attempts were comfortable for Suzuki, while Japan's xG of 0.21 at the break compared unfavorably to Brazil's 0.31, though the scoreline told a different story.
Casemiro had also been booked in the 14th minute for a reckless challenge on Junya Ito, adding to the pressure on the Brazilian holding midfielder.
Ancelotti made one change at the interval, introducing teenage forward Endrick for the injured Lucas Paqueta, and the adjustment shifted the tempo considerably.
The second half brought a transformed Brazilian performance. Endrick charged at the Japan backline from the opening minute, and Brazil began to find joy out wide as Japan, protecting their lead, dropped increasingly deeper.
The equalizer came in the 56th minute. A Gabriel Magalhaes cross from the left found Casemiro peeling away at the back post, and the midfielder thumped a header past Suzuki to make it 1-1.
The goal followed a fortunate reprieve moments earlier when a Casemiro diving header struck Takehiro Tomiyasu on the line and was cleared, a chance the 34-year-old had seemed certain to convert. The goal made Casemiro the second-oldest scorer for Brazil at a World Cup, behind only Bebeto's landmark against Denmark in 1998.
Vinicius Junior came closest to a moment of individual brilliance when he nutmegged Tomiyasu, drove forward, and forced Suzuki into a sharp save that deflected onto the post, a combination of skill and misfortune that summed up Brazil's second-half efforts.
With the match seemingly destined for extra time, Guimaraes, who was withdrawn for Fabinho moments after the decisive contribution, found Martinelli in the pocket in the 96th minute.
The substitute controlled the ball under pressure, set himself, and curled a precise finish beyond Suzuki to send the Brazilian supporters at NRG Stadium into delirium.
The final xG figures told the full story of the second period's dominance: Brazil finished with 1.72 to Japan's 0.23. Casemiro, who had opened the scoring, was forced off late in the match with an injury sustained during additional time, requiring a further substitution that pushed the match beyond the initial six minutes of added time.
Japan, who had arrived in Houston having drawn with Sweden and the Netherlands before crushing Tunisia 4-0 in the group stage, showed discipline and organization throughout but ultimately could not hold on as Brazil's attacking quality told.
Hajime Moriyasu's side had made four changes from the Sweden draw for this match, deploying a 3-4-3 shape, but were left to rue their conservative second-half approach as Brazil's xG advantage widened considerably in the closing stages.
Ancelotti's squad, who topped Group C with successive wins over Haiti and Scotland following a 1-1 draw with Morocco, will now prepare for a last-16 fixture against the winner of the Ivory Coast versus Norway tie played in Arlington on Tuesday.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
1 min read
