Let’s be honest. Brazil looked nothing like a World Cup favorite for the first 45 minutes against Japan. And that near-disaster might trace back to a referee who let Kaishū Sano stay on the pitch after he hacked down Matheus Cunha while already carrying a yellow card.
Sano didn’t just survive. He scored. The Japanese midfielder punished a sloppy Danilo pass, powered past an aging Casemiro, and fired past Alisson in the 29th minute. It was a goal that had millions of fans in Brazil screaming at their TVs — not at the finish, but at the missed call that should have sent Sano off before he ever got the chance.
Cunha, for his part, had been the one who nearly drew that foul. He’d already forced a sharp stop from Japanese keeper Zion Suzuki — who, by the way, is a long-term Manchester United scouting target — and was bearing down on goal again when Sano took him out. The referee saw nothing. Sano stayed on. Japan led.
That first half was pure survival for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. The midfield was getting overrun. Casemiro, at 34, looked his age. Bruno Guimaraes couldn’t get a foothold. Lucas Paqueta was invisible. Brazil needed something.
Ancelotti gave them something. He pulled Paqueta at halftime, dropped Cunha into the No. 10 role, and sent 17-year-old wonderkid Endrick onto the pitch as the focal point up top. It worked almost immediately.
Casemiro Reminded Everyone He Still Has It
Two minutes after Suzuki clawed a Casemiro header off the line, the former United man did it again. This time, Gabriel Magalhaes whipped in a cross, and Casemiro thumped a bullet header past Suzuki. Game tied. And suddenly Brazil looked like Brazil.
Cunha got subbed off in the 65th minute for Gabriel Martinelli, finishing with three shots and a perfect passing rate but also a dribble he couldn’t control. It wasn’t his best game — he looked bright in flashes but never really took over — and Ancelotti’s decision to drop him deeper actually freed him up, oddly enough. As a No. 10 with Endrick running in behind, Cunha had more space to operate than he did as a traditional center-forward.
Martinelli’s Late Winner Saved the Narrative
With extra time looming, Fabinho came on for Casemiro in the 91st minute. The game sat at 1-1 and nobody wanted penalties. Then Martinelli did what he does — he stepped up with virtually the last kick of regulation, sending Brazil into the Round of 16.
The win means Brazil finishes top of Group C and now faces the winner of Norway vs. Ivory Coast. But the bigger story might be Ancelotti’s decision at halftime. Does he stick with that second-half lineup from the start? Because if he does, it means benching Paqueta and trusting Endrick to lead the line in a knockout game. That’s a bold call for a manager who usually plays it safe.
The other lingering question is Casemiro. For 45 minutes, he was a liability. Then he scored the equalizer. United fans watching at home probably had flashbacks to his final season at Old Trafford — all the missed steps mixed with moments of vintage class. INEOS made the call to move on from him last summer, and games like this one show both sides of that argument.
Brazil lives to fight another day. But they can’t afford another half like that first one against Japan. Not with tougher teams waiting.
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