- Casemiro, Gabriel Martinelli lead Selecao to last 16 round
Casemiro and second half substitute, Gabriel Martinelli got the goals as Brazil came from behind to beat resilient Japan 2-1 in Houston to progress and securing their place in the last 16 round of the 2026 World Cup.
The five-time champions appeared to be heading for an embarrassingly early exit after falling behind to a terrific first-half strike from Kaishu Sano, who found the bottom corner of Alisson Becker’s net with a low shot after pouncing on a misplaced pass from Danilo. Indeed, thanks to Martinelli’s dramatic 96th-minute winner, Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil were saved from a seismic 2026 World Cup upset in Houston.
Despite being a goal down at half time, Carlo Ancelotti unsurprisingly didn’t panic. The obvious move would have been for him to take off Casemiro during the break, as the 34-year-old didn’t even get close to Sano as the Japan midfielder surged forward to score, but Ancelotti always knows what he’s doing.
The Italian Manager, nick-named by pundits as ‘Don Carlo’ the coolest customer in football, stuck with his former Real Madrid charge and, almost inevitably, it was Casemiro who headed Brazil level 11 minutes after the interval.
Ancelotti then brought on Gabriel Martinelli and, just when it appeared as if an enthralling encounter in Texas was going to extra-time, the maddeningly inconsistent Arsenal winger broke Japanese hearts in the fifth minute of injury time by taking a clever pass from Bruno Guimaraes before just managing to beat Zion Suzuki with a shot that went in via the right post.
The defeat is particularly cruel given that Japan had taken the lead and looked comfortable for large periods of the knockout clash. But for the South American giants, the result is a narrow escape as they struggled to break down a disciplined Japanese defensive unit for the majority of the match.
With the result, Brazil have officially qualified for the round of 16, where they now await the winner of the match between Ivory Coast and Norway, while Japan heads home to reflect on what might have been.
The Coach Ancelotti men continue their quest for a sixth star, albeit with plenty of questions to answer after this narrow escape. Also, this victory is historic in some way, as it eventually became the latest goal ever scored in normal time to win a World Cup knockout match since Opta’s records began in 1966.
