90+5! Martinelli sends Brazil through in comeback win vs Japan
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- Gabriel Martinelli scored a 95th-minute winner off the post after coming off the bench, sealing Brazil's 2-1 comeback victory over Japan at NRG Stadium.
- Kaishu Sano gave Japan a first-half lead with a strike from the edge of the box after dispossessing Casemiro, but was lucky to escape a potential second yellow card moments earlier for a lunge on Matheus Cunha.
- Casemiro atoned for his role in Japan's goal by heading home Gabriel's cross at the far post shortly after the restart, minutes after missing a close-range sitter blocked by Takehiro Tomiyasu and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki.
- Vinicius Jr narrowly missed a stunning solo run that was palmed onto the post by Suzuki, who was ultimately beaten by Martinelli's late poke that rolled in off the inside of the post.
- Brazil advance to face Ivory Coast or Erling Haaland's Norway in the last 16 on Sunday, with manager Carlo Ancelotti calling the performance his side's "most complete game" of the World Cup.
- Japan have now led in each of their last three World Cup knockout matches — and lost all three, cruelly denied a first-ever knockout-stage victory.
- Sky Sports analysis flagged Brazil's midfield vulnerability and unsettled No. 9 rotation (Cunha, Endrick, Martinelli), warning that "better teams will put them away earlier" if Brazil keep starting slowly.
Why it matters: Brazil avoided what would have been a disastrous early exit and stay on the title-favorite side of the bracket, but the analysis showed Ancelotti still hasn't settled on a best XI — Casemiro looked slow, Paqueta went off injured at the break, and the No. 9 role is being shared. Japan, meanwhile, extended a heartbreaking streak: three straight World Cup knockout leads, three straight losses.
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