Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Houston: Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal late in injury time to give five-time champion Brazil a 2-1 win over Japan in the round of 32 at the World Cup.
Martinelli, who had come on as a second-half substitute, scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time as the match appeared to be headed to extra time.
Brazil will next face either the Ivory Coast or Norway in New Jersey in the round of 16.
Casemiro had earlier equalised on a header in the 56th minute off an assist from Gabriel Magalhaes after just missing another chance two minutes earlier. The shot sailed just out of reach of the outstretched hand of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and into the net.
Kaishu Sano stole a misplaced pass at midfield and took it down the field before a right-footed shot from above the half circle put Japan ahead in the 29th minute.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 World Cup. After getting a taste of Round 32 action yesterday with Canada’s victory over South Africa, we get into the thick of it today with three knockout matches.
The first match has just concluded with Brazil coming from 1-0 down to defeat Japan 2-1, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring the winner six minutes into injury time, sending the Samurai Blue out of the tournament.
Next up, it is Germany versus Paraguay in Boston, kicking off at 6:30am (AEST), followed by what should be a blockbuster clash between the Netherlands and Morocco at 11am.
