Ancelotti candidly addresses Japan, revealing two reasons Brazil came from behind to win and advance in the 2026 World Cup tournament.
On 30 June 2026, Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil national team coach, spoke after the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match, in which Brazil dramatically came from behind to beat Japan 2-1, after falling behind in the first half to Kaishu Sano's goal in the 29th minute.
Brazil then scored two second-half goals: Casemiro in the 56th minute and substitute forward Gabriel Martinelli in the 90+5th minute, allowing the "Samba" team to advance to the round of 16, where they will face the winner of tonight's Ivory Coast versus Norway match, broadcast live on Thairath TV channel 32 starting at 23:50.
Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged that Japan is a difficult team to beat with excellent defensive discipline, and identified two main reasons Brazil managed to come from behind: the players' patience and tactical adjustments made during halftime.
Ancelotti said, "At halftime, I told the players to remain patient because sooner or later we would score. The important thing was to maintain our style of play. We knew we were on the right path and had to continue in this direction."
"In the first half, we tried to gain the advantage in midfield to break through Japan's defense, but it didn’t work because they marked tightly and closed the spaces well. So we adjusted our plan at halftime to try to penetrate their spaces more."
"We started to open up the ball and attack better, which was good progress. Although initially we struggled to find open spaces, we managed to solve this problem effectively."
Ancelotti also mentioned that Brazil still has Neymar as a trump card, reserved for critical moments. "I told Neymar that if we hadn’t equalized by the 60th minute, I would bring him on."
"We considered bringing him on during extra time because he was fit and ready, but since we equalized, Neymar did not play, and he understood the situation very well."
The Brazil coach concluded, with the team still in contention for their sixth World Cup title, "This was the most complete game we've played in this World Cup. We didn’t lose our shape as we did in the first half of the match against Morocco."
"Facing difficulties is part of the game; it’s nothing new. Challenges are part of football, just as the relief we feel when we overcome them."