Brazil fend off Japan at the last gasp | OneFootball

It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t completely convincing, but Brazil managed to get over the line and book their spot in the Round of 16, setting up an enticing World Cup showdown with either the Ivory Coast or Norway in Dallas.

After being subdued in a 1-1 draw against Morocco in New Jersey, Brazil bounced back in style after thrashing Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia, with the changes of Matheus Cunha and Danilo for Igor Thiago and Roger Ibañez proving essential in their improved display. And even with Rayan filling in for the injured Raphinha, the Seleção demolished Scotland 3-0 in Miami to secure the top spot in their group.

This set up a tantalizing Round of 32 match-up against Japan, who, after drawing 2-2 to the Netherlands in Dallas, destroyed Tunisia 4-0 in Monterrey before holding Sweden to a 1-1 draw in Dallas. Whilst Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti went with a completely unchanged XI for the first time in the World Cup, Hajime Moriyasu made a string of changes with Shogo Taniguchi and Takehiro Tomiyasu filling in for Ayumu Seko and Ko Itakura in central defense.

Junya Ito replaced Yukinari Sugawara, with Ritsu Doan moving from the right side of attack to the right wingback position, whilst Ao Tanaka made way for Kaishu Sano in midfield.

First Half

To nobody’s surprise, Brazil started dominating possession and forcing Japan deeper and deeper into their own half, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock.

Instead, it was the Samurai Blue who drew first blood, with Kaishu Sano pouncing on a loose pass from Casemiro, striding forward and firing past Alisson with a rocket of a finish. Suddenly, Brazil were finding themselves subdued by Japan’s hybrid formation, with Moriyasu’s side shifting from a 3-4-2-1 formation to a 5-4-1 and thwarting their ability to progress the ball through the middle.

For all of Brazil’s possession, they were unable to threaten on goal, with every single Japan player working hard to track back and ensure that Brazil couldn’t generate clear-cut chances. And when Brazil did try to wreak havoc on the flanks, Japan once again defended diligently and prevented them from finding too much joy.

Second Half

Staring down the team’s worst finish since their 1966 group stage exit, Ancelotti decided to make a halftime substitution. Having been mercilessly derided on social media for his reluctance to play Real Madrid striker Endrick, he decided to withdraw midfielder Lucas Paquetá for the attacker and move from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-4 setup.

It proved to be a savvy change, with Brazil beginning to control the flow of possession and force Japan deeper and deeper into their shell. They continued to flood the box with cross after cross, eventually materializing in the equalizer as Casemiro made up for his previous error and nodded home a cross from Gabriel Magalhães.

“The team’s greatest strength was our mindset,” stated Casemiro after the match. “We kept up the pressure on our attacking field. In a World Cup, it is crucial to value the players coming off the bench. Endrick came on and played very well today, [Gabriel] Martinelli is another great player, and Rayan has been replacing Raphinha really well. That’s the spirit, and this is the squad to win the World Cup.”

From that point on, it seemed a matter of when, not if, Brazil found a second goal. Ancelotti’s side continued to dominate proceedings thanks to their attacking mindset, with Martinelli replacing Cunha shortly after the equalizer. They inundated Japan with wave after wave of attack, but every time it seemed they were about to score, Zion Suzuki saved the day with a number of superb interventions in goal.

Brazil Presses; Japan Retreats

Japan, meanwhile, retreated further and further away from the opposing box thanks to Moriyasu’s conservative changes, with Junnosuke Suzuki and Sugawara replacing Doan and Nakamura, whilst Shuto Machino and Tanaka replaced Junya Ito and Daichi Kamada. Whereas Brazil were hitting the accelerator despite only making one change, Japan continued to push their foot onto the brakes.

In contrast to the first half, where they were able to steal possession in midfield and exploit Brazil’s high line, they didn’t really care about attacking in the second half. All they cared about holding onto the lead and later the stalemate, praying for Brazil to remain imprecise in the final third.

“We didn’t lose our patience, we had a lot of resources on the pitch and on the bench,” added Ancelotti. “Japan isn’t an easy opponent, it’s very organized and intense. I was saving Neymar for the extra time. He was going to enter the pitch on minute 105 if we hadn’t scored the second goal. I didn’t want to change the structure because the team was playing well.”

The Breakthrough

Just when it seemed that Japan were about to force extra time, Bruno Guimarães split the lines and found Martinelli, who timed his run to perfection and clipped the ball off the post and into the back of the net. For all of his form struggles over the past few years, Martinelli remains a clutch figure, as evidenced by his recent late winners against Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Japan.

“I can’t find the words to describe the joy in my heart. Seeing all those fans on their feet, my parents, my friends… I can’t explain it,” added Martinelli. “After hitting the woodwork, I knew I’d get another chance. I honestly don’t have the words. I’m just happy I was able to help the team, whether I’m playing on the left or through the middle. The most important thing is helping the team.”

Takeaways

There are a number of contrasts between Ancelotti and Moriyasu: Moriyasu has only coached in Japan, whilst Ancelotti has coached the biggest clubs in Europe. Moriyasu was born in his national team’s country, Ancelotti wasn’t. But perhaps the biggest difference is their style: whilst Moriyasu has been incredibly rigid and sometimes defensive, Ancelotti has always been flexible, enabling his players to play with freedom and bravery.

Japan can complain about a number of factors, from having an incredibly difficult draw once again, to suffering a number of injury-related absences like Wataru Endo, Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma and Takefusa Kubo. But ultimately, they didn’t deserve to achieve their first-ever World Cup knockout win. As for Brazil, they are just four games away from a record-extending sixth World Cup title.