A Seleção dominate on attack
The numbers tell the story of a game that should never have gone to the 95th minute. Brazil registered 19 shots to Japan’s five, dominating possession at 69 percent and launching 131 attacks compared to their opponents’ 62.
Yet for all that control, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Brazil creating only four big chances and converting just two of their 12 shots from inside the box.
It summed up a frustrating night in front of goal, despite completing 624 of 676 passes at a 92 percent success rate, until Martinelli’s late intervention finally broke Japanese resistance.
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Samurai Blue dig deep on defence
Japan’s defending was the real story of the match. Despite seeing just 31 percent of possession, Hajime Moriyasu’s side won more individual duels than their share of the ball would suggest, contributing to ten successful tackles and 13 successful headers as they repeatedly cleared danger from inside their own box.
Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was kept far busier than his Brazilian counterpart, making four saves to Alisson’s one, while Takehiro Tomiyasu twice cleared off his own goal line. It was a defensive effort that very nearly produced one of the shocks of the tournament.
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Brazil now await the winner of Ivory Coast and Norway in the next round. Japan’s wait for a first-ever World Cup knockout win goes on, but for nearly an hour, it looked like they would finally get it against one of international football’s most celebrated nations.
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Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble
