Ancelotti delivers a tactical masterclass: Brazil come back against Japan in the dying seconds
A Gabriel Martinelli goal in the 95th minute avoids extra time and sends Brazil through to the last 16. The international press praises Ancelotti’s decisions as the key to an epic comeback.
Football has that cruelty and that magic that only it can offer. Brazil experienced it all at the NRG Stadium in Houston: the shock, the anxiety, the despair and, finally, the explosion of joy. A Gabriel Martinelli goal in the 95th minute avoided extra time, ended Japan’s brave resistance and sent Brazil into the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti, unmoved on the touchline as only he knows how to be, had announced it before the match: «Mind, heart and clear ideas». His players listened until the very last breath.
Japan did not come to Houston to make up the numbers. The Asian side surprised from the first minute, pressed with intensity and found their reward on 29 minutes through a brilliant individual move by Kaishu Sano, who drove from the centre of the pitch and finished across goal leaving Alisson with no chance. The blow was a heavy one. Brazil felt it and reached half-time behind on the scoreboard and with more doubts than certainties.
The half-time talk that changed everything
It was then that Ancelotti showed why he is the best. As Martinelli later revealed, the coach’s words in the dressing room were decisive: far from showing concern, he radiated calm and convinced his players that the comeback was possible if they kept their patience and stuck to the plan. «The team did not lose patience», Ancelotti himself acknowledged after the match. «We were doing well in the first half, we pushed a little harder in the second and in the end everything worked out».
Carletto’s tactical adjustments at half-time proved decisive, as influential outlets such as The Athletic and A Bola highlighted, focusing precisely on the Italian coach’s decisions as the key to the comeback. And the reaction was not long in coming: on 56 minutes, Casemiro appeared inside the box to connect with a header and level the score. «He is a leader. Nobody on the pitch can play in his position», said Ancelotti of his midfielder. Brazil had started to believe again.
The goal that means everything
When the clock passed ninety minutes and extra time seemed inevitable, Bruno Guimarães found a gap in the Japanese defence and threaded a perfect pass through to Martinelli. The Arsenal winger brought the ball under control with composure and finished with precision to unleash Brazilian euphoria. The final whistle confirmed a comeback that L’Équipe described as «epic», while France24 called it an «agonising» qualification, highlighting the character of a team that never stopped believing.
Brazil have «many resources on the pitch and on the bench», Ancelotti declared. And on Monday in Houston they proved it. Brazil are through to the last 16. The dream of a sixth star lives on.
