Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's mentality after they came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 in the round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup at Houston Stadium, United States, on Tuesday WIB.
Brazil had fallen behind to Kaishu Sano's goal before equalizing through Casemiro and securing victory thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's injury-time goal.
"We didn't lose patience. We had plenty of options, both on the pitch and on the bench. Japan is not an easy opponent; they are very organized and play with high intensity," Ancelotti said, as reported on FIFA's official website after the match.
The Italian coach revealed he had prepared Neymar in case the match went to extra time. However, Martinelli's late goal thwarted those plans.
"I kept Neymar on for extra time. He would have come on in the 105th minute if we hadn't scored the second goal. I didn't want to change the team structure because we were playing well," he said.
