Brazil credit Japan after the win — Ancelotti calls it their 'most complete match'

A first half that ended 1-0

NRG Stadium in Houston, 68,777 in the crowd. Japan led at the half-hour. In midfield Kaishu Sano stole a Danilo pass and drilled it into the bottom-left corner from outside the box for his first international goal, Brazil's defense split wide open (FIFA, Brazilian press).

In the dressing room at the break, Ancelotti did not draw up an elaborate plan. According to Terra, he asked his players for two things: "Stay calm," and "put weight in the box" (pesar a área). More crosses, more bodies in the area — that was it.

Ten minutes into the second half (55-56'), Gabriel Magalhães crossed and Casemiro headed in the equalizer. The lead would not come for a long time; the winner waited until stoppage time. In the 90+6th minute, Bruno Guimarães cut the ball back and Martinelli forced it home to make it 2-1. Japan's tournament ended there.

The winners led with how good Japan were

At his post-match press conference, Ancelotti called it Brazil's "most complete match" (jogo mais completo). His reasoning is telling for Japan: the reason Brazil could not create in the first half was that "Japan were sitting very deep and compact" (o Japão estava muito fechado). He explicitly praised the quality of Japan's defensive organization (TMC, Diário de Pernambuco).

Before the game, the same Ancelotti had called the tie "a final." The first half justified that wariness. Brazilian outlets wrote that Japan smothered Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha for long stretches, and framed Sano's goal not as a fluke but as the product of a transition Japan had hunted for.

'A scare' — the temperature of the home press

Brazil won, and yet their headlines leaned to relief and self-criticism. Lance! reported that "Brazil had a scare but turned it around late." Terra's op-ed summed the win up as one Brazil earned "with emotion and suffocation" (emoção e sufoco), overcoming their own errors and Japan's deep block.

The player ratings ran the same way. Trivela's marks named Martinelli the hero of the night while assigning Casemiro the word "redemption" (redenção): Ancelotti's choice to keep the off-color 31-year-old on the pitch was repaid by his equalizing header.

And still, Brazil moved on

Asked how he felt on the touchline, Ancelotti told CNN Brasil: "I suffered less. I was confident." It was meant to stress his team's response from 1-0 down, though the need to say so out loud is its own measure of how close the 90 minutes were.

Japan's tournament ended with this match. Brazil advance to the round of 16 to await the winner of Ivory Coast and Norway.