Brazil start well but suffer second-half blackout | OneFootball

Brazil suffered the first defeat in its history to Japan, 3-2, in a comeback, this Tuesday in Tokyo, in the last of the two friendlies of this October FIFA date. The match was marked by a true blackout of the canary team in the second half, which served as a warning in the preparation of Carlo Ancelotti's team for the World Cup.

The team took the field with eight changes compared to the team that thrashed South Korea. Only Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, and Vinícius Júnior were kept as starters from the first to the second game.

Despite the changes, Brazil controlled the first half without major problems and relied on the good playmakers in midfield, Bruno Guimarães and Lucas Paquetá, who set up Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli in front of the goal to open 2-0.

Besides the good offensive performance, Brazil was also not facing any danger in defense, as it was in most matches under coach Carlo Ancelotti, until the first mistake happened.

Right at the beginning of the second half, Fabrício Bruno, upon receiving a back pass from Lucas Paquetá, controlled the ball inside his own area but lost balance while trying to pass and ended up giving it away to Minamino, who shot at the goal and scored for Japan.

From then on, Brazil had an impressive downfall in the game, conceded the equalizer, and subsequently the comeback, with a rather spaced defense. As Japan grew in the game, the mental strength of the team diluted to the point where the defeat to the hosts became irreversible.

Aside from the result and posture in the second half, coach Carlo Ancelotti took the opportunity against Japan to evaluate players not only technically and tactically but also mentally with an eye on the World Cup.

There is much to learn from this match for the upcoming commitments. As Ancelotti himself said at the end of the game, “better now than in the World Cup.” May the mistakes made against the Japanese serve as a lesson for the canary team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.