Five-time champions Brazil overturned a first-half deficit to secure victory. Gabriel Martinelli scored the decisive goal in injury time to help Brazil defeat Japan 2-1 and qualify for the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Despite Kaisei Sano scoring for Japan in the 29th minute to give them the lead, Brazil rallied in the second half to take the win. Midfielder Casemiro equalized with a header in the 56th minute, becoming the second-oldest Brazilian to score in a World Cup.
On June 15, in Kathmandu, Gabriel Martinelli’s injury-time strike in the sixth minute of added time in the second half secured Brazil’s place in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 following their 2-1 win over Japan at Houston Stadium in the United States. Brazil will face the winner between Ivory Coast and Norway in the Round of 16. Japan’s Kaisei Sano opened the scoring in the 29th minute by capitalizing on a misplaced pass in midfield by Brazilian players and advancing alone to score.
Brazil’s goalkeeper Alisson Becker was unable to save Sanoju’s powerful shot, marking Sano’s first goal for Japan and his first in this tournament while playing for German club Mainz 05. Brazil mounted a comeback in the second half. Casemiro scored a header in the 56th minute off a cross by Gabriel Magalhães. Trailing by a goal at halftime, Brazil applied consistent pressure on Japan from the start of the second half, though Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki performed outstanding saves to keep the scoreline level.
Casemiro’s equalizing goal leveled the match and made him the second-oldest Brazilian to score in a World Cup at 34 years and 126 days old. Previously, Bebeto held this record when he scored against Denmark in 1998 at 34 years and 137 days. Earlier, in the 52nd minute, Danilo’s pass led to a header by Bruno Guimarães that Suzuki spectacularly saved. Two minutes later, Casemiro’s shot was cleared off the line by Japanese defenders. Vinícius’s attempt also struck the post. As the match was headed toward a draw in regulation time, Martinelli scored the winning goal in injury time. Japan, aiming for their first knockout stage victory, were unable to maintain their lead and suffered defeat. This is not the first time Japan has lost after taking the lead in the FIFA World Cup knockout rounds.
