FOOTBALL – GABRIEL Martinelli scored the winning goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time and Brazil climbed out of a halftime hole to send Japan packing 2-1 in a World Cup round of 32 match yestertday in Houston.
Martinelli’s winner in the 95th minute came at the end of a tense match and was the latest winning goal in normal time of a World Cup knockout game since 1966.
Brazil players and staff hugged each other on the pitch after the match as the Japanese players watched on in disbelief.
“I can’t explain how I feel,” Martinelli said. “It’ll only really sink in a while. Thank God I managed to score the goal today. I’m so happy for the team, who gave it their all. I’m lost for words.”
Casemiro scored in the 56th minute after Brazil went to the locker room down 1-0 on Kaishu Sano’s 29th-minute stunner.
Brazil were the better team throughout the second half but finally punctured Japan’s defense in the dying minutes.
The winning play unfolded when Ao Tanaka stole a ball in Brazil territory but immediately gave it away to Rayan. He centered it to Bruno Guimaraes, who shuttled it left to Martinelli.
The Arsenal star collected it on his left foot and unleashed a bullet with his right; Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki got a mitt on it before it bounced in off the far post.
Suzuki made four saves to keep underdog Japan in the match.
Alisson was credited with one for Brazil, who will face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the round of 16 on July 5 in East Rutherford, N.J.
Brazil avoided their earliest World Cup exit since stalling out in the second group stage of 1982.
Japan failed to earn their first knockout win in their tournament history.
Brazil controlled the game early until a yellow card was issued to Casemiro, who put a bad tackle on Junya Ito’s right leg just outside the box in the 14th minute.
Nothing came of the ensuing fee kick and corner kick, but it flipped the field in Japan’s favor for a while.
Sano broke through in the 29th minute.
He picked up a lazy Brazil pass, ran through midfield and struck a low shot while falling to the ground.
It skidded past Alisson into the bottom-left corner, Sano’s first goal for his national team in his 15th appearance.
Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta limped off at the end of the first half with an unidentified injury, and Endrick replaced him.
Brazil redoubled its attack after halftime. After Suzuki made a diving save, Casemiro struck a header from close range but the ball hit defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, and teammate Hiroki Ito cleared it when it was inches away from the goal line.
But Casemiro’s next header attempt was rewarded. Gabriel Magalhaes sent in the cross to the far post, and Casemiro knocked it home across Suzuki’s body.
Vinicius Junior nearly put Brazil in front moments later with a remarkable run, but after his close-range chip shot got a piece of Suzuki’s thumb, it glanced out off the far post.
Brazil continued to hunt for the go-ahead goal but couldn’t convert. A pair of free kicks and a pair of corner kicks in the final six minutes before stoppage time came up wanting.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti must have said something at halftime as his players came out with a sense of urgency and created a number of chances, pushing forward at a faster pace and loading the box.
“We didn’t lose our patience, we had a lot of resources on the pitch and on the bench,” Ancelotti said. “Japan isn’t an easy opponent. It’s very organised and intense.
“I was saving Neymar for extra time. He was going to enter the pitch on minute 105 if we hadn’t scored the second goal. I didn’t want to change the structure because the team was playing well.”
The result denied Japan a first-ever World Cup knockout win and Brazil stayed on course to reach the quarter-finals again as they have in every tournament since a last-16 exit in 1990.
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