Half-time in Houston and Brazil’s players trudged off knowing they were 45 minutes from their swiftest World Cup exit since 1966. Japan had taken the lead through Kaishu Sano, looked comfortable, and the prospect of a historic humiliation – a knockout defeat to an Asian side in the last 32 – felt real. Brazil had not come from behind to win a World Cup knockout game since beating England in the 2002 quarter-final. But Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil’s first foreign coach at a World Cup, was unflustered. “No. Not really,” he said when asked if he was concerned. “I was confident in our team.”
The 67-year-old’s only half-time change was enforced – Endrick replacing the injured Lucas Paqueta – and he told his players to be patient. “What was important was to keep our structure,” Ancelotti said. The message worked. Casemiro equalised, and then substitute Gabriel Martinelli scored a stoppage-time winner, sparking wild celebrations. South American football expert Tim Vickery said: “Sometimes Ancelotti's greatest ability is to do nothing. An oasis of calm in all the chaos around him – and it has paid off again.”
“Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in World Cup last-32, with Ancelotti's calmness key.”
Ancelotti called it Brazil’s “most complete game” of the tournament, despite the first-half struggles. He even revealed a card held in reserve: “I told Neymar that if we didn’t equalise by a certain point I was going to put him on to the pitch.” Neymar has so far played only 15 minutes, against Scotland. Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu acknowledged the gap is closing: “Brazil are a top team but we are definitely approaching that level.” Brazil now face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the last 16, with Ancelotti warning they are “going down the right path”.