Brazil vs Japan Highlights, FIFA World Cup 2026: Last-gasp winner sends Selecao into Round of 16

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: The veteran, who is without a club since leaving Manchester United at the end of the season, has struggled yet again for Brazil. It was evident in the match against Morocco, where he was shown the yellow card, and the same looked today as well against Japan. It he who was left exposed when Sano sprinted with the ball for the goal. His lack of pace was evident. And then the needless tackle for another yellow card at the close of the first half.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Who would have thought? Brazil were the ones dominating possession and then Japan came out with a shock goal right after hydration break and Selecao have since looked in disarray with their attacking ploy.

Brazil 0-1 Japan, Half-time

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Four minutes have been added to the first-half time.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil notch up their attacking game as they get players around the Japanese box. But too muddled an approach on the left plank, lacking much coordination and flow in their finish.

Brazil 0-1 Japan, 36 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Moment that Japan have been waiting for and that arrives right after the hydration break. And the giants of the game are now trailing. Sano breaks the deadlock. His first international goal. He races past Casemiro and then guides a right-footed shot from outside the box that went straight into the left corner.

Brazil 0-1 Japan, 29 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: After 23 minutes of play in Houston, we have the drinks break. Brazil are definitely bossing possession, but lack bite in terms of their attacking. Japan have plenty to do to catch up and make their presence feel.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 23 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil have been dominating possession throughout the start thus far. Vinicius and Paqueta create chances from the left plank, but Japan survive the scare for now.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 20 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Free kick for Japan. Daichi takes it. Deflects off the wall for a corner.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 15 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Cunha curls in a low-attempt and the Japan goalkeeper Suzuki puts it out for a corner. Santos then gets in the middle of things and rushes into an attempt, targeting the far right corner, but the ball goes wide.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 13 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Sano fouls Vinicius with a late tackle and he gets shown the Yellow Card.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 12 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Danilo makes a wonderful run out of nowhere to get behind the defense line and puts in a last-minute cross. The ball gets passed to Guimaraes, who unleashes an attempt that struck Paqueta on his face as he gets knocked down.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 10 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Suzuki makes a giant leap to grab the ball off a free kick from Japan, but it slips out. A split second of fear for Japan as two Brazil players surrounded him immediately, but Suzuki grabbed it after falling to the ground.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 8 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: A deflection off the feet of the defender and Brazil get a corner. Gumares delivers, rather flat and is put away.

Brazil 0-0 Japan, 2 minutes

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: And so it begins at the Houston Stadium. Can Japan pull off a stunner to win their first knockout game? Or, will Brazil keep their unbeaten start intact to make the last-16? One this is for sure, we are in for a cracker of a contest!

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Players make their way into the Houston ground. Time for the national anthems. Brazil go first.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil have lost just once against Japan in 14 encounters, which, incidentally, came in their last meeting, a friendly in October. Brazil had lost a two-goal lead. Overall, Brazil have won 11 times against the Samurai Blues, which includes their only World Cup face-off in 2006.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Opta's supercomputer picked Brazil as the favourites, with a 58.3% chance of winning in regulation time, while Japan's is 18.1%. And the chance of the match going to extra time or penalties is 23.6%.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Japan crashed out in the Round of 16 after three penalty misses in the tie-breaker against Croatia. But Japan are ready if the match against Brazil goes down the wire.

“This time when the moment comes for the penalty kick shootout is probable I would like to decide the order of the kickers rather than players volunteering like last time,” Japan coach ‌Hajime Moriyasu said. “I think I am going ‌to make the decision and decide who is going to kick.”

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Japan have made four changes to their starting XI from the one that featured in the 1-1 draw against Sweden. In the defence, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Shogo Toniguchi replaced Ayumu Seko and Ko Itakura. And in the midfield, Kaishu Sano came in for Ao Tanaka. Meanwhile, Junya Ito will move to the right of the front three, while Ritsu Doan will be the right wing-back in the 3-4-3 formation as Yukinan Sugawara dropped to the bench.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: In seven appearances at the FIFA World Cup, the first in 1998, Japan have progressed past the group stage on four occasions: 2002 (co-hosts), 2010, 2018, and 2022. But on all those occasions, they failed to go beyond the Round of 16.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Like Brazil, they too are unbeaten yet. Here's how they performed in Group F…

vs Netherlands, 2-2

vs Tunisia, 4-0

vs Sweden, 1-1

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil made no changes to their starting line-up for the match against the Blue Samurais. The 4-3-3 formation remains with Rayan in the combination, as the 19-year-old will play alongside Vinicius Jr and Cunha in the front. This also means no Neymar in the starting XI as Ancelotti has him named on the bench.

Brazil vs Japan LIVE Score, FIFA World Cup 2026: Neymar made his first appearance for Brazil after three years when he came off the bench in the second half of the match against Scotland last week. However, Ancelotti doesn't reckon the Santos striker is fully fit for a 90-minute game. “In the last week his progress ⁠has been significant,” Ancelotti told reporters on Sunday. “Unfortunately he could not play longer than 15 minutes before, but he is now doing well enough to play more.”