Gabriel Martinelli leads Brazil to 2-1 win over Japan, securing a place in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16
worldsoccertalk.com · 3 weeks ago
Despite a disappointing start to the match, Brazil completed an excellent comeback against Japan, defeating them 2-1. Although Casemiro equalized the match, Gabriel Martinelli was the one who led the victory with a last-minute goal. Despite arriving as the favorites, Brazil had a disappointing start to the match against Japan. Although they dominated possession, they were unable to be effective and were exposed on the counterattack. Kaishu Sano even scored against them. However, head coach Carlo Ancelotti made adjustments at halftime that turned the match around. In the closing minutes, Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner to send Brazil to the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Japan managed to surprise Brazil in the first half. Without dominating possession, they were very dangerous, as they broke quickly on the counterattack.Because of this, Brazil were unable to recover control of the midfield, leaving plenty of space. Kaishu Sano scored an important goal to give Japan the lead in the first half. However, they were unable to maintain their intensity and were outplayed by their opponents in the second half. After Carlo Ancelotti’s adjustments, Brazil regained control of the match in the second half. Constantly pressing their opponents, they wore them down physically, forcing them deep into their own penalty area. Taking advantage of Japan’s weakness in the air, they delivered a series of crosses that resulted in Casemiro’s equalizer. After that, the match changed completely, but it was Gabriel Martinelli who changed everything. Recognizing their attacking superiority, Brazil decided to substitute Matheus Cunha to give the team more explosiveness with Gabriel Martinelli. After numerous attacks into the penalty area, Rayan recovered the ball in the opposition’s box and passed it to Bruno Guimarães. Efficiently, he then found Martinelli, who controlled the ball and finished across goal, scoring the winning goal in the final minute. With this, they secured their place in the Round of 16. BRAZIL TAKES THE LEAD LATE IN STOPPAGE TIME 🇧🇷Absolutely clutch from Gabriel Martinelli! pic.twitter.com/gdN7ns8tLA— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 29, 2026
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