Brazil advanced to the Round of 16 in dramatic fashion by defeating Japan with a stoppage-time goal by Gabriel Martinelli in Houston, Texas.
Martinelli scored from the left side of Brazil’s attack with a shot that was out of reach for Zion Suzuki, who, despite stretching as far as he could, was unable to stop the shot from the Premier League Arsenal forward, delighting the Brazilians and crushing the hopes of the Japanese.
The Japanese saw their efforts to stifle the Brazilian offense pay off when, in a lethal attack, Kaishu Sano struck a ball that rolled out of Alisson Becker’s reach in the 29th minute, to the astonishment of thousands of Brazilian fans.
Brazil came out for the second half determined to set things right, and it was the great veteran Casemiro who fired a point-blank shot to tie the game at 1-1 in the 56th minute, sparking joy in the stands.
Now the team led by Carlo Ancelotti will await the winner of the match between Norway and the Ivory Coast, to be held in Dallas on Tuesday, June 30, at 1:00 p.m. For Japan, it’s a bitter return home with the feeling that they could have achieved more.
