- Brazil Player Ratings vs Japan: Former Manchester United Midfielder Casemiro led by example scoring the equaliser and was named the official player of the Match.
- Introduced off the bench, Gabriel Martinelli emerged as the ultimate super-sub by keeping his cool in the 95th minute to slot home the dramatic winner.
- The Seleção travel to the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, July 5, where they will face the winner of the Round of 32 clash between Ivory Coast and Norway.
Gabriel Martinelli emerged the super-sub, netting a dramatic 95th-minute winner to cap off a 2-1 comeback victory for Brazil against a resilient Japan side in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Monday night.
The Seleção had fallen behind in the first half following a Kaishu Sano strike triggered by a defensive error, but a powerful second-half header from Casemiro set the stage for deep stoppage-time heroics from Martinelli.
Below are the player ratings from a captivating night in Texas.
ALSO READ Brazil vs Japan: Gabriel Martinelli fires Selecao into World Cup Round of 16 with late winner
Brazil Player Ratings vs Japan
Goalkeeper & Defence
Alisson (6.6/10): Mostly quiet for long stretches, but delivered when it counted by pulling off a vital second-half stop to deny Ueda.
Danilo (6.4/10): A night of contrasting halves. His careless giveaway sparked the counter-attack for Kaishu Sano’s opening goal, though he bounced back to provide useful width and crossing options later on in the second half.
Marquinhos (6.9/10): Maintained his usual composure on the ball and did a solid job containment-wise against Japan’s rapid transitional play.
Gabriel (7.6/10): Put in a robust defensive shift and proved crucial in the opposition box, picking out Casemiro with an accurate left-footed cross for the equalizer.
Douglas Santos (7.0/10): Overlapped with intent down the left flank, combining smartly to unlock spaces alongside Vinicius Junior.
Midfield
Casemiro (8.3/10) • PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Led by example in the central block when the pressure mounted. After being thwarted on two occasions by Takehiro Tomiyasu, he stepped up to thump home the crucial 56th-minute header that kickstarted the entire turnaround.
Bruno Guimarães (8.0/10): Dictated the rhythm of the game from deep, completely running the midfield engine room. He showed incredible vision in the 95th minute, slicing open the Japanese defense with a perfectly weighted through-ball to set up the winning goal.
Lucas Paquetá (6.2/10): Struggled to stamp his authority on the midfield in the opening period and his night was cut short by an injury at the interval.
Attack
Rayan (7.3/10): Settled into the game well after a tense start, sending several threatening deliveries into the penalty area from the right side.
Vinicius Junior (7.2/10): An absolute handful for the opposition full-backs all evening, coming agonizingly close to scoring when Zion Suzuki tipped his fierce effort onto the woodwork.
Matheus Cunha (6.5/10): Tested the keeper early on but his influence waned as he dropped deeper to collect the ball before being substituted.
Substitutes
Endrick (7.0/10): Introduced for the second half and immediately destabilized Japan’s shape with his direct running, opening up passing lanes for his teammates.
Gabriel Martinelli (8.3/10): Delivered the definitive moment of the match. The substitute kept his cool in the 95th minute to slot home a clinical right-footed finish and book Brazil’s ticket to the Round of 16.
Fabinho (6.3/10): Sent on in the dying seconds to shore up the defensive midfield block and secure the result.
With their ticket to the Round of 16 secured,Brazil are scheduled to return to action on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at 11:00 PM EAT (4:00 PM local ET).
They will travel to the New York New Jersey Stadium to face the winner of the Round of 32 clash between the Ivory Coast and Norway.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026