Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: For the first time since 2002, Brazil has come back from the brink of defeat in the first half of the World Cup and snatched an incredible victory. The five-time world champions have secured a place in the last 16 or pre-quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after ending a 24-year drought in the global tournament with a dramatic victory over Japan. Despite falling behind in the first half, Carlo Ancelotti's men pulled off a brilliant comeback in the second half to snatch victory in this match held at the Houston Stadium in America. With this victory, the Seleção advanced to the next round after co-hosts Canada. They will now face either Ivory Coast or Norway in the fight to reach the quarterfinals. Japan, known as the 'Samurai Blue', held Brazil back by playing excellent football in the first half of the match. They ended the first half with a 1-0 lead thanks to a wonderful goal by Kaishu Sano in the 29th minute. In the first half, Brazil struggled to find the back of the net against Japan's defensive tactics. However, after the break, coach Carlo Ancelotti's clever tactical changes completely turned the tide of the match. The South American powerhouses returned to the match in the 56th minute with an equalizer from experienced midfielder Casemiro. After regaining parity, the match became quite open and both teams engaged in attacks and counterattacks. At the end of the scheduled 90 minutes, when the match was likely to go into extra time, the desired moment arrived.
A magical goal by Gabriel Martinelli in the last minute of injury time (90+6 minutes) filled the entire stadium with joy and ensured a tearful farewell for the Japanese players. Former England forward Chris Sutton described the victory as "the brainchild of coach Ancelotti".
Statistically, the match also marked a unique milestone for Brazil after 24 years. It was the first time since the match against Turkey in the Korea-Japan World Cup on June 3, 2002, that the Seleção had come from behind in the first half to win a match in a global tournament. The Brazilians completed a record 682 passes throughout the match, with defender Gabriel Magalhaes alone completing 135 of them - the most for any Brazilian player in the current World Cup. Having passed this difficult test against Asian powerhouse Japan, Ancelotti's team took another step towards the Hexa mission.