Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner sends Brazil into the Round of 16 after Japan’s brave resistance falls short
Brazil secured a dramatic place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time winner to seal a thrilling 2-1 victory over Japan on Monday.
The five-time world champions survived a determined Japanese challenge to progress to the knockout stage, where they will face either Côte d’Ivoire or Norway in the last 16.
Both teams entered the Round of 32 unbeaten. Brazil had topped Group C with seven points, while Japan advanced as runners-up in Group F after registering one win and two draws.
Brazil started brightly and dominated possession from the opening whistle. Matheus Cunha came close to opening the scoring in the 14th minute, but Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki produced an outstanding one-handed save to deny the striker.
Despite Brazil’s early control, Japan stunned their opponents in the 29th minute. Danilo’s misplaced pass was intercepted by Kaishu Sano, who drove forward, evaded Casemiro and unleashed a powerful shot beyond Alisson to hand the Asian side a surprise lead.
Brazil increased the pressure before half-time but struggled to break down Japan’s disciplined defensive structure, with Suzuki and his backline frustrating the South American attack.
The Seleção emerged with renewed intensity after the interval. Bruno Guimarães forced another save from Suzuki before Casemiro’s close-range header was cleared off the goal line.
Brazil finally found the equaliser in the 56th minute when Casemiro rose highest to head home a perfectly delivered cross from Guimarães, making amends for his earlier mistake that led to Japan’s opening goal.
Vinícius Júnior nearly completed the comeback moments later with a brilliant individual run, but his low effort struck the post and bounced agonisingly away.
Brazil continued to dominate the closing stages, piling pressure on Japan’s defence in search of a winner. Their persistence was rewarded deep into stoppage time when Guimarães threaded an incisive pass into the penalty area, allowing an unmarked Gabriel Martinelli to calmly slot the ball past Suzuki and spark jubilant celebrations.
Japan pushed desperately for an equaliser in the closing moments, but Brazil’s defence held firm to secure a hard-fought victory.
The dramatic win keeps Brazil’s pursuit of a record-extending sixth FIFA World Cup title alive, while Japan bows out of the tournament after another impressive campaign that highlighted the nation’s continued progress on the international stage.
