October 15 – Japan staged an impressive second-half comeback in Tokyo to claim their first-ever victory over Brazil in a friendly.
It was a night of firsts in the Japanese capital: in 13 meetings, the Asian side had never defeated the five-time world champions, but that changed on Wednesday when Ayase Ueda struck with a thumping header in the 71st minute to complete a rearguard win after the hosts had fallen behind 2-0 before half-time. It was a first defeat for Carlo Ancelotti in his role as Brazil manager.
Brazil’s confidence from a 5-0 victory against South Korea on Friday translated into a 26th-minute lead in Japan when Paulo Henrique opened the score with a powerful strike. Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli doubled the South Americans’ lead in the 32nd minute.
After the break, the hosts drew level through strikers from Takumi Minamino and Keito Nakamura before Ueda, the Feyenoord striker and top scorer in the Dutch top flight, scored the winner in a remarkable turnaround.
Ancelotti, Brazil’s first-ever foreign manager, said his side should draw lessons from the defeat. He explained: “It’s not all right, no. When the team loses, we’re upset, that’s normal. Everyone is upset. I don’t like losing, nor do the players. We have to learn from this defeat, as always in football.”
The Italian pointed to Fabricio’s defensive error as a turning point in the match, but added: “Individual mistakes don’t affect a player’s presence on the team. What we have to evaluate is the team’s reaction after the first mistake, which wasn’t good because we lost some of our balance on the field, our positive thinking. It’s a good lesson for the future.”
In November, Brazil return to action with friendlies against Senegal in London and Tunisia in Paris.
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