Brazil advances past Japan in Round of 32, 2-1
Brazil advances past Japan in Round of 32, 2-1
Published 6:30 pm Tuesday, June 30, 2026
HOUSTON – Gabriel Martinelli’s goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time lifted Brazil to a 2-1 victory over Japan in a Round of 32 match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Monday afternoon at “Houston Stadium” – better known as NRG Stadium.
Martinelli came on as a substitute in the 66th minute.
“It was mainly to bring a bit of freshness to the field because the end of the game has a lot of intensity, and the change is very, very important because when he comes on, he is always at full throttle, and he helped the team,” Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “Besides scoring the goal, in that part, his position allowed Vini (Vinicius Junior) to play a bit more open, which was very dangerous.”
Brazil created chance after chance early in the contest. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and the Japan defense was to keep the ball out of the net, though.
Japan grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute when Kaishu Sano, who received a yellow card earlier, drilled a shot from 23 yards into the left side of the net.
Despite Brazil putting pressure on Japan, the score remained 1-0 at halftime.
In the 54th minute, it appeared Brazil was going to score, but Japan somehow knocked the ball away before a goal was scored.
But in the 56th minute,Casemiro tied the game for Brazil with a header on an assist by Bruno Giumaraes.
“Casemiro is a leader, a boss in his position,” Ancelotti said. “Nobody can teach him how he has to play in that position. He is really important. Not only that, he scores goals because he scored a lot of goals in the Premier League this season, and he has a really good connection with the goal.”
Brazil had more close calls in the 58th minute.
After several more Brazil opportunities were turned away, Brazil ultimately scored the go-ahead goal the final minutes to remain alive in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I knew it was difficult because all matches are difficult, and even more so in the final stages of the World Cup against a team that is very solid and has achieved excellent results,” Ancelotti said. “At halftime, I said to have patience because we would score the goal; sooner or later, the goal would come. The important thing was to maintain balance so as not to complicate the match, and the team, I must say, did very well. They weren’t even in a rush to win this match because playing like this, we could have won even in extra time, and it wouldn’t change anything.”
Martinelli’s goal snuck past Suzuki’s hand and narrowly inside the goal on the right side. The assist came from Giumaraes, who now has four assists in this World Cup, which is tied for the record this century.
“Bruno is a very important player, very continuous in the game, always has a very good presence at a defensive level and an offensive level,” Ancelotti said. “He made a fantastic assist for the goal. I am very happy because he also has a very big heart.”
Brazil finished with 19 attempts at goal, seven attempts on target, six corners and 625 accurate passes. Japan had five attempts at goal, two attempts on target, two corners and 260 accurate passes.
There was an attendance of 68.777 at Monday’s match.
Japan was looking to advance in the knockout stage for the first time. Brazil has made at least the quarterfinals in every WorldCup since 1990, winning titles in 1994 and 2002.
Brazil will face either Norway or Ivory Coast in the Round of 16 at 3 p.m. Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Norway and Ivory Coast will face off at noon Tuesday at Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington.
“We have to wait and see what happens,” Ancelotti said. “I respect all teams. I respect the Norway team. To talk about Norway today might be a lack of respect to Ivory Coast, so let’s wait and see. Respect to all teams and all players.”