HOUSTON — Down 1-0 at halftime against a disciplined Japanese side that had packed the box and dared them to break through, Brazil could have panicked. Instead, Carlo Ancelotti says his team figured it out on the fly.
“I think that, so far, this was our most complete game,” the Brazilian head coach said after Monday’s 2-1 comeback win in the World Cup round of 32 at NRG Stadium. “We had problems in the first half creating chances, after all, Japan were sitting very deep. We looked for solutions, with crosses and more presence in the box in the second half.”
Those adjustments paid off fast. Just nine minutes after the restart, Casemiro rose to meet a Gabriel Magalhães cross and buried a header to level the score. Then, deep in stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli coolly slotted home the winner — a finish that sent the Brazilian bench into a frenzy and kept their World Cup run alive.
A different kind of test for Brazil
Japan came into this match with a clear plan: stay compact, frustrate Brazil’s attackers, and hit on the counter. It worked for 45 minutes. The Samurai Blue grabbed the lead and dared Brazil to find a way through a back line that barely left any gaps.
Ancelotti admitted the first half was a struggle. “We had difficulties because of the opponent’s strength. It is a respectable team, very well organized and dangerous. The players are physically strong,” he said. But he also made it clear this wasn’t the same disjointed Brazil that struggled against Morocco earlier in the cycle. “It was not a lost team like in the first half against Morocco.”
The coach said he stayed calm on the sideline even as the clock ticked down. “I suffered less. I was confident. The team was playing well.”
What comes next for the Seleção
With the win, Brazil punched their ticket to the round of 16 and will now wait to see who they face. Their opponent will be determined Tuesday, with either Ivory Coast or Norway coming out of the other group match. The Seleção’s next game is scheduled for Sunday, July 5, in New Jersey.
Ancelotti, who picked up his tenth win as Brazil manager with this result, said the team knows there’s still room to grow. “We are strong, happy, and we know we are on the right path. We have to keep improving, keep working, and resting is also very, very important. Now we wait to see who the next opponent will be.”
For a team that came into this tournament carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations, grinding out a win when things got ugly might be exactly the kind of momentum they need.
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