Ex-Flamengo's Vini Jr among World Cup dribble leaders after Brazil v Japan

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·29 giugno 2026

Ex-Flamengo's Vini Jr among World Cup dribble leaders after Brazil v Japan

Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in the World Cup round of 32

Vini Jr. did not score in Brazil’s win over Japan, but he still remained important in the World Cup. That is because, besides being the player with the most dribbles in the match, the Flamengo academy product entered the ranking of the players with the most successful feints in the 2026 World Cup.

He completed three successful feints this Monday (29), taking his total to ten in Brazil’s four matches so far. As a result, the Real Madrid (ESP) forward is the fifth-best dribbler in the World Cup, while Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza leads the way with 13 successful attempts.

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What does the World Cup dribbling ranking look like?

Ibrahim Maza = 13;
Kang-in Lee = 11;
Julio Enciso = 11;
Tahith Chong = 11;
Vini Jr. = 10.

Vini Jr. is the only Brazilian in the top 10 dribblers. The next Brazilian on the list is Rayan, who has only three successful feints in the tournament. For context, Spain’s Lamine Yamal has nine successful feints and sits in eighth place. The data comes from the Sofascore website.

What else did Vini Jr. do against Japan?

3 shots (2 on target);
2 key passes;
35/39 accurate passes (90%!);
6 duels won (!);
3/6 successful dribbles (!);
3 fouls suffered (1st in the match!).

Japan’s marking on the star was doubled, but the Flamengo academy product still found space to contribute indirectly to attacking plays. In one of the moves, the winger struck the post and came close to extending the lead.

Who scored Brazil’s goals?

Japan took the lead through Sano, and Brazil equalized with a goal from Casemiro. Center-back Gabriel Magalhães delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of the No. 5, who bulged the net.

The comeback also had Endrick’s indirect involvement. The youngster passed to Bruno Guimarães, who found Martinelli among the Japanese defenders. The substitute then scored his first-ever World Cup goal.

When does Brazil play again in the World Cup?

Vini Jr. will be available to Carlo Ancelotti for Sunday’s (05) round-of-16 match. The opponent will be the winner between Ivory Coast and Norway, who face each other this Tuesday (30).

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