Brazil: the ‘Real Madrid’ of the World Cup

There will never be a World Cup team like Brazil, nor another national side that embodies so much of the winning spirit and such an extraordinary collection of triumphs. This was how they recovered from a qualifying-style collapse that left them reeling, only to snatch victory with the final breath of the match. They have done it before. Real Madrid does it at club level. They are two sides of the same coin, each dominant in its own arena, on its own stage, in its own competitions.

The match itself was deceptive. That much was clear from the opening whistle. Japan has gradually acquired everything it once lacked. It now has a commanding goalkeeper in Suzuki. Tactically, it has become a fortress, blending its trademark discipline with automated patterns of play. Above all, it has developed the steel that was once absent from a football culture that was talented but soft, attractive but ultimately ineffective.

The work begun by Nakamura, Honda and Kagawa, in a football culture that once idolized outsiders more than its own, has fully come to fruition in Moriyasu’s compact, disciplined side. Japan had already warned the world’s elite, including Spain at the last World Cup, and it arrived at the 2026 edition as an even more polished machine: three centre-backs, two wing-backs providing width, two composed central midfielders with authority and personality, and a fleet of attacking midfielders who relentlessly tested both Brazil’s defence and its resolve.

It must also be said that Ancelotti had little to offer beyond Cunha’s movement and the occasional defence-splitting pass from Bruno Guimarães. Everything else depended on Vinícius producing a moment of inspiration. There is nothing wrong with making that part of the plan, but it cannot be the entire plan, partly because opponents already know where Brazil’s danger lies, and because even a player as gifted as Vini needs support.

With Vinícius neutralized and Brazil drifting, Japan steadily took control. Kamada became the game’s dominant figure. He set the tone himself by drawing the yellow card for Casemiro, effectively splitting Brazil’s midfield in two. Unable to defend with his usual aggression, Casemiro became constrained, and Japan began dictating the rhythm with calm possession and crisp, intelligent passing that kept every part of the team moving in perfect synchrony.

Ironically, the breakthrough came from a turnover. Danilo’s giveaway was beneath the standard expected of a Brazilian right-back, or even of a casual kickabout on Copacabana. Everything that followed, however, was executed to perfection by Sano. He won the ball, surged forward and slipped a low finish beneath Alisson.

It is difficult to accept that a position once occupied by Dani Alves, Cafú, Jorginho and Carlos Alberto should now belong to a player like Danilo, who no longer looks capable of performing at World Cup level, if he ever truly was. Japan’s goal landed like a hammer blow. Brazil were not only behind on the scoreboard, they also sensed just how difficult overturning the deficit might become. It was the champions’ moment.

Carletto must have seen the situation as equally bleak because, after Paquetá’s injury, he turned to the most daring option on his bench: Endrick. He had barely featured throughout the tournament, and his relationship with Ancelotti has become something of a running joke on social media. Yet when Brazil needed someone, as so often seems to happen with Endrick, he was the one asked to put on the firefighter’s helmet and rescue the Seleção.

The effect was immediate. A couple of explosive runs from Endrick, followed by another from Vinícius, transformed Brazil’s momentum. No national team inspires fear quite like the Seleção. It is the Real Madrid of international football, the team synonymous with improbable comebacks, the side whose five stars alone can spread panic, capable of striking suddenly without needing elaborate possession or intricate build-up.

That was how Brazil rose again, relying on character where structure had fallen short. Midfielders suddenly arrived in the penalty area like natural strikers, first Bruno Guimarães, then Casemiro, in a wave of collective belief that overwhelmed Japan. After forcing two outstanding saves from Suzuki, Brazil finally broke through. Casemiro, the pillar of this side and a player reborn after rediscovering himself, met Gabriel’s cross with a towering header that turned Houston upside down.

The delirium was complete and might have grown even greater moments later, when Vinícius produced one of his trademark slaloming runs, only to be denied by the post and another magnificent save from Suzuki. How many matches has he transformed with moments of pure brilliance? No one would have been surprised had he done it again. Yet Japan held firm, and the contest seemed destined for the familiar uncertainty of extra time.

But this Brazil in yellow, so often reminiscent of the Real Madrid side that has made white synonymous with impossible comebacks, still had one final act of drama left. Almost with the last kick of the match, as Japan’s thoughts turned towards extra time, Endrick’s relentless pressing forced the decisive mistake. The loose ball fell to Bruno Guimarães, whose perfectly weighted pass found Martinelli. It was a gift in the 95th minute, a cruel ending for Japan and a magical one for Brazil, the Real Madrid of national teams.

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Brazil

• 1 Alisson
• 4 Marquinhos
• 13 Danilo -
• 16 Douglas Santos
• 3 Gabriel
• 8 Bruno Guimarães (97')
• 5 Casemiro (92')
• 20 Lucas Paquetá (45')-
• 9 Matheus Cunha (65')
• 26 Rayan
• 7 Vinicius Junior
• Substitutes
• 2 Éderson Silv
• 17 Fabinho (92')SC
• 23 Ederson Moraes
• 15 Leo Pereira
• 6 Alex Sandro
• 24 Ibañez
• 22 Martinelli (65')
• 25 Thiago
• 18 Danilo (97')SC
• 19 Endrick (45')
• 21 Luiz Henrique
• 14 Bremer
• 10 Neymar
• 12 Weverton

Japan

• 1 Zion Suzuki
• 21 Hiroki Ito
• 22 Takehiro Tomiyasu
• 3 Shogo Taniguchi
• 15 Daichi Kamada (77')
• 13 Keito Nakamura (65')
• 10 Ritsu Doan (65')
• 24 Kaishu Sano
• 11 Daizen Maeda (96')
• 18 Ayase Ueda
• 14 Junya Ito (77')
• Substitutes
• 12 Keisuke Osako
• 6 Shuto Machino (77')
• 4 Ko Itakura
• 20 Ayumu Seko
• 26 Kento Shiogai
• 9 Keisuke Goto
• 19 Koki Ogawa (96')SC
• 2 Yukinari Sugawara (65')
• 25 Junnosuke Suzuki (65')
• 16 Tsuyoshi Watanabe
• 7 Ao Tanaka (77')
• 17 Yuito Suzuki
• 8 Take Kubo
• 5 Yuto Nagatomo
• 23 Tomoki Hayakawa

Substitutions

Endrick (45', Lucas Paquetá), Gabriel Martinelli (65', Matheus Cunha), Junnosuke Suzuki (65', Keito Nakamura), Yukinari Sugawara (65', Ritsu Doan), Shuto Machino (77', Junya Ito), Ao Tanaka (77', Daichi Kamada), Fabinho (92', Casemiro), Koki Ogawa (96', Daizen Maeda), Danilo Santos (97', Bruno Guimarães)

Goals

0-1, 28': Kaishu Sano, 1-1, 55': Casemiro, 2-1, 95': Martinelli

Cards

Referee: Maurizio Mariani
VAR Referee: Marco Di Bello, Ivan Bebek
Kaishu Sano (11',Yellow), Casemiro (13',Yellow), Daichi Kamada (44',Yellow), Danilo (47',Yellow), Junnosuke Suzuki (83',Yellow)