Gabriel Martinelli's 96th-minute goal rescues Brazil from Japan upset in World Cup Round of 32

Soccer isn't played with the aforesaid strict timepiece arsenic astir different sports, but Brazil came astir arsenic adjacent to a buzzer-beater arsenic the athletics allows.

After a beauteous passing show from the five-time World Cup champions, Gabriel Martinelli recovered the backmost of the nett successful the 96th infinitesimal to springiness Brazil a 2-1 triumph implicit Japan.

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Gabriel Martinelli of Brazil celebrates with teammates aft scoring the team's 2nd extremity during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer against Japan astatine Houston Stadium. (Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images)

Brazil entered Monday's Round of 32 lucifer against Japan arsenic dense favorites to advance, but it was the Japanese who struck first. Kaishu Sano scored for Japan, a squad that finished 2nd successful Group F aft drafting the Netherlands and Sweden and beating Tunisia 4-0, truthful this was hardly an overmatched hostile contempt the monolithic quality successful World Cup history.

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The extremity came from a Brazil mistake adjacent midfield. Sano picked disconnected a misplaced pass, carried the shot himself and ripped a right-footed changeable from conscionable extracurricular the container past Alisson to springiness Japan a shocking pb successful the 29th minute.

Brazil controlled the enactment successful the 2nd fractional and it felt similar an equalizer was imminent. That turned retired to beryllium the case, arsenic Casemiro tied the crippled connected a header from wrong the container conscionable implicit 10 minutes into the 2nd half.

Supporters of Brazil observe during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer betwixt Brazil and Japan astatine Houston Stadium. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images)

Casemiro astir tied it 2 minutes earlier, but helium didn’t discarded his adjacent chance. Gabriel Magalhães sent a shot into the box, and Casemiro enactment his header conscionable retired of the scope of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki to yet interruption through.

Brazil astir took the pb astir immediately. Vinícius Júnior, who has been 1 of the stars of the tourney for Brazil, got escaped connected the near broadside of the container successful the 58th minute, but Suzuki got capable of the changeable to nonstop it disconnected the acold post.

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Gabriel Martinelli, who came connected successful the 2nd half, yet delivered the infinitesimal Brazil spent astir the full lucifer chasing. He received the shot wrong the near channel, took a interaction and calmly sent a debased changeable disconnected the acold post.

Japanese players respond aft losing to Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer astatine Houston Stadium. (Sean M. Haffey/FIFA)

Brazil continued to power play passim the 2nd half, but conscionable couldn't get the go-ahead extremity into the net. That changed astatine the precise end, erstwhile Brazil got the extremity it needed to beforehand to the Round of 16.

Brazil present awaits the victor of Ivory Coast-Norway for its Round of 16 opponent. Japan, meanwhile, inactive couldn’t find its archetypal World Cup knockout-stage victory, but it made the five-time champions sweat until the last seconds.