Ancelotti: Casemiro needs no lessons… and I was sure of the fateful goal

Italy’s Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Brazil, expressed his great joy after the dramatic victory over Japan in the 32nd round of the 2026 World Cup at the Houston Stadium on Monday night.

Brazil cruised to a 2-1 victory after scoring the winner in the sixth minute to secure their place in the last 16 after one of the most thrilling games of the tournament.

“I think we played a complete match. We faced some difficulties as Japan came into the game with a lot of power, but we overcame most of these problems in the second half. We made a lot of advanced passes and although we didn’t find space in the beginning, we solved this problem after the break.”

He added that Brazil initially tried to increase the numbers in midfield, but Japan’s strict control prevented this, explaining that the changes he made were aimed at providing more passing options.

The Italian coach emphasized. “Japan are a very organized and dangerous team, they were close to a big result, they have tremendous physicality and great technical ability.”

Casemiro’s defense

About the first goal of the Japanese, Ancelotti refused to hold Casemiro responsible, saying: “I didn’t talk to Casemiro about the goal, because he does his job in the best way. We all make mistakes, and from my personal point of view, I don’t see that he made a mistake in that shot.”

The Italian coach emphasized that suffering is a natural part of modern football. “We have to go through some suffering. There is no easy match today and I always remind myself of this fact, and what happened against Japan was no exception.”

Neymar was close to participating

Ancelotti has revealed he is considering using Neymar if the game goes into extra time, saying:

Ancelotti praised the performance of Gabriel Martinelli, stressing that his intensity was a decisive element in changing the rhythm of the game, adding: “Martinelli has great intensity as a player and he can change the course of a match with this intensity.

Casemiro is a leader who needs no lessons

The coach concluded his speech by once again praising the Brazilian midfielder. “No one can teach Casemiro to play football. He is a real leader and has great ability in front of goal.”

He added: “He wasn’t just great because he scored the winning goal, but because he’s a great player by nature. He has scored a lot of goals in the Premier League and can always be a threat in front of goal, as we saw today.”

In the 16th round, Brazil is waiting for the winner of the upcoming 32nd round match between Norway and Ivory Coast.