Overview
- Brazil recovered from a 1-0 half-time deficit to beat Japan 2-1 when Gabriel Martinelli scored at 95:00, a stoppage‑time winner that, by Opta’s count, is the latest normal‑time knockout goal on record.
- Bruno Guimarães provided the assist for Martinelli and recorded his fourth tournament assist, putting him top of the assist list and matching the century’s single‑edition mark.
- Players credited Carlo Ancelotti’s calm half‑time message and tactical changes, including the introduction of Endrick, with shifting Brazil from a stifled first half into sustained pressure in the second half.
- Gabriel Magalhães advanced from a high club defensive line to set up Casemiro’s equaliser, a link many reports said underlines how club roles and tactics have fed Brazil’s attacking moments.
- The win sends Brazil to New Jersey to play the winner of Ivory Coast versus Norway and puts fresh focus on Guimarães’s market value and Brazil’s bid for a sixth World Cup as the expanded 48‑team format produces new late‑deciding moments.