A late minute goal allows wayward Brazil to fend off a disciplined Japan 2-1
The highly contested Round of 32 game produced football theatre of the highest order on June 29, 2026, with the Samurai Blue left dejected at full-time.
XtraTime Newsweek: Brazil qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 after securing an amazing 2-1 win against Japan in Houston. The highly contested Round of 32 game produced football theatre of the highest order on June 29, 2026, with the Samurai Blue left dejected at full-time.
Japan opened the scoring in the 29th minute of the game through Kaishu Sano who capitalized on an errant pass to dribble past the Brazil midfield and unleash a spectacular shot past the goalkeeper Alisson Becker with his right foot. With a well-deserved one-nil lead at the interval, Japan was set to create history with their well-disciplined team.
But the five-time winners fought back with relentless pressure in the second half, coached by Carlo Ancelotti. In the 56th minute of play, the veteran midfielder Casemiro headed in a beautifully played cross by Gabriel Magalhães to tie the game at 1-1.
Japan defended brilliantly despite Brazil’s constant attack led by Vinícius Júnior whose shot hit the woodwork. It looked like the game would go into extra time until substitute Gabriel Martinelli sealed the deal for Brazil in the 96th minute of play through an excellent assist from Bruno Guimarães.
Leveraging the great assist by Bruno Guimarães, Martinelli placed his ball into the bottom right corner, beyond Suzuki. The team of Brazil will go on to play their next match in East Rutherford, New Jersey against Côte d’Ivoire or Norway on 5 July.
