Brazil Fight Back to Beat Japan 2-1 and Reach World Cup Round of 16
Brazil came from behind to defeat Japan 2-1 on Sunday and book their place in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, with a stoppage-time winner breaking Japanese hearts.
Japan stunned the Selecao in the 29th minute when Kano fired past goalkeeper Alisson to give the Samurai Blue a 1-0 lead at halftime. Brazil looked short of ideas for much of the first half, but they turned it around after the restart.
Gabriel swung in a perfect cross 11 minutes into the second half and Casemiro was unmarked at the far post to head home and level matters. The veteran midfielder sparked Brazil’s comeback with composure in the box.
Just when extra time looked inevitable, Bruno Guimaraes had other plans. The midfielder slipped a pass to Gabriel Martinelli in the 95th minute, and the Arsenal forward calmly struck into the far corner to seal a 2-1 win. Guimaraes now has four assists in this World Cup campaign.
Casemiro was named Man of the Match. Speaking to the BBC after the game, he said: “I feel many emotions right now. When you score a goal you ask God to light you at that moment. It’s really a lot of emotions at the same time. You have to really value the entire group. Martinelli with the winning goal. That’s the path to win the World Cup, you have to value the group.”
Brazil will now face the winner of Norway vs Cote d’Ivoire in the Round of 16.
Carlo Ancelotti on why Neymar didn’t play today vs. Japan: “I was waiting for extra time… I talked it over with him: If we didn’t score the equalizer, he was coming in around the 60th or 65th minute.”
“I just didn’t want to change the structure because we had control of the match.”