Brazil comeback to inflict heartbreak on Japan on day two of the 2026 World Cup Round of 32

The group stages are over, and we’re going headfirst into knockout tournament football at this year’s FIFA World Cup with 3 games taking place on Monday. The first game of the day saw Group C winners Brazil take on Group F runners-up Japan in Houston. 

Carlo Ancelotti opted to keep the same starting XI that started the 3-0 win against Scotland in their last group-stage game. The front three consisted of Rayan out on the right wing, Vinicius Jr on the left, and Matheus Cunha through the middle. 

General view as the teams walk out before the match

Pedro Nunes

World Cup Round of 32  - Brazil vs Japan

Hajime Moriyasu opted to make 4 changes to his Japan side that started the 1-1 draw against Sweden in their last group stage game. Shogo Taniguchi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kaishu Sano, and Junya Ito all came into the side for Yukinara Sugawara, Ao Tanaka, Ayumi Seko, and Ko Itakura. 

Japan's Kaishu Sano celebrates scoring their first goal as Brazil's Casemiro reacts

Pedro Nunes

Brazil started the game really well, with Bruno Guimaraes seeing two of his shots inside the box blocked by Japan defenders, who were throwing themselves at everything Brazil did. 

Matheus Cunha was the next Brazil player to go close within 12 minutes when he received the ball on the break from Bruno Guimarães, but Cunha’s strike inside the box just went wide of the goal, and a big chance went astray for Brazil. Bruno Guimaraes had another shot, but this time he put his wide of the goal from just inside the box too. 

Japan grew into the game after the opening 15 minutes, and Daichi Kamada saw his long-range effort blocked before it could trouble the Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson. Right after the hydration break, the deadlock between the teams was broken, and Japan took a 1-0 lead. 

Ayase Ueda went close with a header from an Ito corner, but his header went over and wide. From the goal kick, Brazil tried to play out but lost the ball near the halfway line, and Japan broke on a counterattack. Kaishu Sano picked the ball up just outside the box and smashed a strike past Alisson to fire his nation into a 1-0 lead. 

Brazil started to take control over the game after the Japanese goal, and Vinicius Junior had a shot from outside that was well saved by Zion Suzuki. Lucas Paqueta had a chance blocked outside the box, and then right after, Matheus Cunha tried to tie the game with a long-distance shot, but it lacked any power, and Suzuki easily made the save.  

The first half ended, and Japan went into the halftime break leading 1-0 and was just 45 minutes away from heading into the round of 16 and knocking out Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil. 

Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli scores their second goal

Annegret Hilse

The second half started, and we basically had 15 minutes of pure chaos as Brazil threw everything they possibly could at getting back into the game, and Bruno Guimaraes was the first player to go close when his header from the middle of the box was brilliantly kept out by Suzuki. 

2 minutes later, even more chaos ensued when an initial header from Brazil bounced off a defender on the line, hit Suzuki on the head, bounced off the same Japanese defender, and then somehow cleared off the line to safety. 

Just a few minutes after the goal line chaos, Brazil found their equalizer when a brilliant Gabriel ball into the box found Casemiro sneaking in at the back post, and the veteran midfielder headed the ball past Suzuki to make it 1-1. 

Brazil came close to a second goal just before the 60th minute when Vinicius Jr went on an unbelievable run, nutmegging one defender and then chopping another, and he looked like he was about to score an iconic World Cup goal, but Suzuki pulled off an unbelievable save with his thumb to tip the shot onto the post. 

The hydration break came and went, and both teams struggled to build momentum for a long time, with the only chances coming from blocked shots or crosses that never found a teammate. It all looked like it would go to extra time until a goal went in during stoppage time. 

After some patient build-up around the box, the ball was played through beautifully by Bruno Guimarães to Gabriel Martinelli, who took a great first touch and beat Suzuki by the smallest of margins as he came close to pulling off another world-class save.

Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates

MARIA LYSAKER

Absolute heartbreak for Japan once again in the knockout stages of the World Cup while Brazil manages to just get through a really tough test and will face the winners of Côte d’Ivoire vs Norway. 

Day 3 of the Round of 32

Tomorrow brings another 3-game slate of knockout football in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Côte d'Ivoire taking on Norway, France playing Sweden, and, in the final game of the day, co-hosts Mexico facing Ecuador. 

MORE: Philly Sports Network's World Cup Coverage