Gabriel Martinelli’s 96th-minute winner noticed Brazil dramatically come from behind to advance to the World Cup final 16 and cruelly deny Japan a first-ever knockout stage win within the competitors.
Carlo Ancelotti’s facet had been staring down the barrel of a disastrous early exit when Kaishu Sano scored from the sting of the field within the first half – after he breezed previous Casemiro too simply.
However Casemiro made up for that slack defending by equalising after the break. Minutes after failing to transform a sitter, he headed dwelling Gabriel’s cross on the far submit to the reduction of the sizeable Brazil assist in Houston.
Vinicius Jr virtually turned the sport on its head as his solo run and end was palmed onto the submit by Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
However Suzuki cruelly couldn’t do sufficient on Martinelli’s stoppage-time poke – solely capable of palm the trouble onto the within of the submit earlier than the ball rolled in.
Brazil advance to the spherical of 16 the place they may play Ivory Coast or Erling Haaland’s Norway. Japan, in the meantime, have led in every of their final three World Cup knockout video games – and misplaced all of them.
The important thing moments from Houston…
- 23: RED CARD? Already on a reserving, Sano lunges in on Cunha on the byline. No foul is given, because the Japan midfielder toed the road.
- 29: GOAL! Sano then picks up on Danilo’s poor cross and breezes previous Casemiro to attain from the sting of the field.
- 53: Casemiro misses sitter as his close-range header hits Takehiro Tomiyasu, then goalkeeper Suzuki, then again onto Tomiyasu on the goal-line and away to security.
- 56: GOAL! Casemiro does not miss this time as he heads dwelling Gabriel’s cross on the again submit.
- 58: Brazil virtually full the turnaround however Vinicius Jr’s gorgeous run and end is palmed onto the submit by Suzuki.
- 90+6: GOAL! Because the stress grows, Bruno Guimaraes feeds the ball to Martinelli who pokes previous Suzuki.
