In the giddy aftermath of a thrilling comeback victory that saw Japan beat Brazil for the first time ever and send a packed Ajinomoto Stadium into delirium, it may seem churlish to nitpick over the manner of the win. But with next year’s World Cup looming, it is hard not to notice that Samurai Blue is making a habit of living on the edge against the world’s top teams.
Brazil dominated in the first half on Tuesday and was good value in achieving its 2-0 lead at halftime. After adopting a more aggressive, pressing approach in the second half, it was two disastrous errors from center-back Fabricio Bruno that allowed Japan to equalize before Ayase Ueda scored the winning goal with a thunderous header from a corner.
The turnaround was reminiscent of wins over major soccer forces at the previous World Cup in Qatar. Japan stunned Germany in the group stage with two late goals to win 2-1 — one of two comeback victories with that score at the 2022 tournament after a controversial assist from a video assistant referee allowed Ao Tanaka’s goal to stand against Spain.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.