World Cup Drama for Japan

LIVE: Brazil Must Now Beat Japan

Brazil equalized in stoppage time!(Bild: AFP/RONALDO SCHEMIDT)

Brazil has advanced to the World Cup round of 16 after a dramatic finish. In the 95th minute, Gabriel Martinelli scored the decisive 2-1 goal against a valiant Japanese team. The “Seleção” struggled for much of the match against the “Samurai Blue.” 

Brazil narrowly avoided its earliest elimination from a World Cup in 36 years. On Monday, in the Round of 16 in Houston, the record-holding world champions defeated Japan 2-1 (0-1) with a goal in stoppage time, keeping their hopes alive for a sixth title. After a weak first half and falling behind 0-1 to a goal by Kaishu Sano (29'), Casemiro (56') and Gabriel Martinelli (95') secured the victory. Their next opponent will be either Ivory Coast or Norway.

Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti fielded an unchanged starting lineup, meaning Neymar—who had been sidelined with an injury—remained out. As expected, the Seleção controlled the game, but their slow and uninspired build-up play initially posed no real threat to the well-organized and disciplined Japanese, who defended with a back five. After an uneventful half-hour, Japan struck quickly. Sano, one of four new faces in the starting lineup, intercepted a pass from Danilo at the midfield line, was able to drive unchallenged toward the penalty area, and scored with a low shot into the corner from 20 meters out.

Brazil Puts Pressure On After the Break
The Brazilians, however, came out of thebreaklike a different team. They put the Japanese under pressure and created chance after chance. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was able to defuse a header by Bruno Guimaraes (52'), Casemiro’s header hit Takehiro Tomiyasu, who was positioned on the line (54'), but his next header two minutes later found the back of the net. Vinicius Junior nearly added another right away; his shot hit the post, missing his fifth goal of the tournament by just centimeters (58'). Japan could barely break out of their own half and were lucky in the 86th minute that referee Maurizio Mariani did not call a foul on a challenge in the penalty area.

In stoppage time, however, the favorite finally scored the winning goal. Substitute Martinelli scored off a perfect pass from Guimaraes. Brazil thus won its fifth match against an Asian team in a World Cup final tournament and will face the winner of Tuesday’s match between Ivory Coast and Norway on Sunday (10:00 p.m.) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Japan, in its eighth World Cup appearance, must continue to wait for its first victory in a knockout match.

The FBI stated that it investigated a “threat circulating on the internet” against the stadium during the game. “At this time, there is no evidence to support the credibility of the threat,” according to an FBI statement cited by several U.S. media outlets. Authorities are working to identify the source of the threat.