HOUSTON — For the third consecutive World Cup, Japan’s men’s national team exited the knockout round in devastating fashion, falling 2-1 to five-time tournament champion Brazil after a late Gabriel Martinelli goal in stoppage time sealed their elimination. Monday’s defeat extends the Samurai Blue’s decades-long hunt for their first ever knockout stage win at the World Cup, marking the fifth time the side has squandered a lead in a knockout match to exit the tournament.
Japan got off to a dream start against the global powerhouse, taking a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute through a strike from Kaishu Sano. Brazil responded just past the hour mark, as star midfielder Casemiro nodded home a equalizing header in the 56th minute, setting the stage for a tense final stretch. With the match poised to go to extra time, Martinelli netted the decisive winning goal deep into injury time, sending Japan packing once again. Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki turned in an impressive performance against Brazil, recording four saves, but declined to speak to reporters after the final whistle.
This exit follows a painful pattern for Japanese football at the sport’s biggest global stage. At the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Japan held an early lead against Croatia in the round of 16 before being eliminated on penalty kicks. Four years prior, in 2018, Japan infamously held a 2-0 lead over Belgium in the second half of their round of 16 match, only to concede three late goals, including a game-winner in stoppage time, to crash out of the tournament. Even with this latest devastating loss, Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu remained focused on future progress, framing the pain of the defeat as a foundation for future success.
“While we fell short of our goal this tournament, we can set our sights on the next World Cup, and the one beyond that,” Moriyasu said, speaking through a translator after the match. “That is the goal we will continue to work toward. I do not expect history to be kind to us for this result, but if we keep pushing past these disappointing moments, the day will come when our history changes.”
Brazil have historically dominated Japan in head-to-head matchups, with Japan holding only one win in 15 total meetings between the two sides — a single friendly victory in October of last year. Despite this losing trend, Moriyasu emphasized that the competitive gap between Japan and the world’s top teams is narrowing rapidly.
“Brazil is one of the best teams in the world, and we are clearly approaching their level,” Moriyasu said. “We have to use what we learned from the defeat in Qatar four years ago and lift our play to the next level.”
After the final whistle, Moriyasu told his players to hold onto the sharp frustration of the loss, and use that feeling to fuel their growth in coming years. He also took full accountability for the result, saying: “Winning the World Cup was our shared dream and goal, and we could not reach it. As head coach, I told the players I am truly sorry that I was not able to lead this team to the level we needed to achieve that goal.”
Back in Japan, the heart-breaking defeat did little to dim fan enthusiasm for the team’s performance. Hundreds of fans gathered at a public viewing site near Tokyo Tower to watch the match, which kicked off in the early hours of local time, ending around 4 a.m. Many supporters said they left inspired by Japan’s fight against a elite opponent.
“I want to thank the players for never giving up, no matter how tough the situation got,” said fan Miyu Hashiguchi after the match. “They gave me the courage to take on my own challenges in life.”
Twenty-year-old student Ryutaro Mori noted that even in defeat, putting the first goal on the scoreboard against a higher-ranked side like Brazil marked a major milestone for Japanese football. “That means a lot for our country,” Mori said.
Alessandro Libri, an AP video journalist based in Tokyo, contributed reporting to this article.