'The strongest ever' Japan's complete football system failed against Brazil... exposed limitations by Samba's individual skills and physicality

*This content was translated by AI.

Japan's 'complete system,' which it boasted of, ultimately could not overcome the wall of the world.

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match against Brazil held at Houston Stadium in Texas, USA, Japan took the lead with an early goal by Kai Shu Sano but conceded consecutive goals to Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli in the second half, losing 1-2.

As a result, Japan failed to advance past the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive time, from the 2002 Korea-Japan tournament through the 2010 South Africa, 2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar, and this tournament.

Japan opted for a pragmatic, defense-oriented style focused on narrowing the gap. Kai Shu's early goal in the 30th minute was a scene born from Japan's unique counter-attack system, meticulously calculated to intercept opponent passes and immediately strike.

But that was all. Although they attempted to control Brazil's offense with a tight five-back formation, it was impossible to withstand the relentless wave of attacks throughout the 90th minutes with organization alone. The Japanese defense could not handle the individual skills and physicality of the Brazilian players, as Casemiro's high header equalized in the 11th minute of the second half, and Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic winning goal in stoppage time.

Especially in the second half, Japan managed only one shot and showed nothing, while Brazil unleashed a total of 11 shots (5 on target), clearly demonstrating a significant gap in ability.

Manager Hajime Moriyasu expressed strong confidence in the squad depth ahead of the tournament, stating, "We can field 2 or 3 teams." However, the reality faced in actual matches was different. Key players such as Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma, and Wataru Endo were sidelined one after another due to injuries, and even ace Takefusa Kubo was absent from the Round of 32 match due to a knee injury. With the core players missing, there was no 'crack' on the bench to break through Brazil's pressure.

Ultimately, Japan's 'complete football' fell short by a single step on the most important stage. The confidence built by defeating strong teams like England and Brazil in friendly matches proved useless against the giant Brazil in the World Cup.

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*This content was translated by AI.