Martinelli completes Brazil's comeback win over Japan to reach World Cup Round of 16

Gabriel Martinelli's dramatic 95th-minute goal sealed Brazil's comeback victory over Japan, securing their place in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup. The Brazilian team, playing in Houston, overturned a 0-1 deficit after Japan's Kaishu Sano opened the scoring in the 29th minute. Casemiro equalized for Brazil in the 56th minute, assisted by Gabriel Magalhães, before Martinelli's late winner, set up by Bruno Guimarães.

Despite dominating possession in the first half with 68%, Brazil struggled to create clear chances, managing only two shots on target out of eight attempts. Japan, conversely, was more efficient, scoring with their only shot on target. The Japanese team was unable to hold onto their lead in the second half as Brazil leveraged set-piece opportunities and superior technical quality to mount their comeback.

Brazil's equalizer came from a header by Casemiro, a tactic that proved effective for Manchester United. In the closing minutes, Bruno Guimarães created the decisive chance, setting up Martinelli for the winning goal. Brazil's victory means they will now play the winner of the match between Norway and Ivory Coast in the next round.

This marks another World Cup exit for Japan in the stage following the group phase. In the 2022 World Cup, they were eliminated by Croatia in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in the Round of 16. The match featured a notable sequence where Kaishu Sano intercepted a pass from Danilo, initiated a counter-attack, and scored Japan's goal.