Brazil advanced to the last 16 of the World Cup on Monday with a thrilling last-gasp 2-1 victory over Japan in Houston, as Arsenal striker Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to settle a much-anticipated contest at the NRG Stadium.
Japan had threatened to pull off one of the all-time great World Cup upsets after Kaishu Sano fired them into the lead with a superb 29th-minute goal on the counter-attack, and Brazil looked stunned for the remainder of the half as the Asian giants comfortably protected their lead.
But Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti rolled the dice at half-time by bringing on an additional striker in Endrick for midfielder Lucas Paqueta, and the South Americans immediately looked more threatening, equalising on 56 minutes when Casemiro nodded in at the far post after a superb curling cross from Gabriel Magalhaes.
Brazil will face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the last 16, with the Houston classic being the first of three last 32 knockout games scheduled on Monday, alongside Germany facing Paraguay near Boston and Morocco facing the Netherlands in Mexico. Germany’s tie with Paraguay is their first World Cup knockout match since they defeated Argentina in the final of the 2014 World Cup, and while they are not widely seen as genuine contenders, coach Julian Nagelsmann insists that winning every game has to be their aim.
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