Houston, we have Brazil alive! Arsenal duo turn the tables as Selecao come from behind to beat Japan

Never underestimate the heart of champions and Brazil have two current Premier League winners who saved the Selecao from eternal humiliation on Monday night! Carlo Ancelotti's side has reached the Round of 16 after a miraculous second-half comeback to beat Japan 2-1 in their World Cup thriller in Houston.

Along with Casemiro, who scored the equaliser, two essential elements of this remarkable resurrection were two Gabriels, both playing for the Gunners - Gabriel Magalhaes and Carletto's super sub, Gabriel Martinelli's.

The former made an amazing assist to Casemiro, while the latter scored the late winner, seconds before the final whistle. The entire arena in Houston exploded in ecstasy for the Brazilian players and fans, who know how close this was to complete horror. Luckily, Ancelotti's substitutions and destiny had other ideas, despite a serious struggle for the entire 90+6 minutes.

What started as a slow-paced lullaby in the opening 25 minutes suddenly transformed into a genuine thriller with many unexpected twists. One came in the 29th minute, as Kaishu Sano stunned the entire stadium and all of us in front of the TV. He exploited Danilo's poor pass, stormed into the rival's danger zone, and fired it into the bottom corner past Casemiro and Alisson for a stunning 1-0 lead. It was his first international goal - what a moment and at what stage!

Despite making 333 successful passes before the break, the most for Brazil in the first half of a World Cup match since 1966, the favourites actually had no control of the game whatsoever. It was Japan who intentionally gave the ball to their opponents, focusing on defending with a deep five and another four near the backline, which frustrated Vini and his teammates. There was no space for them to do any magic, and they needed an urgent change.

After the half-time interval, and probably some of Ancelotti's inspiring team talk, that idea became reality. And guess who came on for his much-deserved chance to prove he's an outstanding player? Endrick, who became the subject of countless jokes and mockery on social media in recent days, as Ancelotti has always opted for other solutions. This time, the young Real Madrid striker on loan at Olympique Lyon got his minutes and a place in the attack, with a mission to change the game's momentum.

Bafana Bafana's World Cup dream ends in a painful stoppage-time death

Japan's keeper made a couple of remarkable saves, including those to deny Bruno Guimaraes and Casemiro from more-than-promising positions. To this moment, we're still not sure how on earth those headers didn't result in an equaliser.

Alas, not even the sensational custodian could save them from Casemiro's second attempt. Gabriel Magalhaes sent a lovely cross to the far post, where the veteran midfielder jumped sky-high to head it home as the Brazilians went crazy, 1-1.

The Samurai Blue were visibly under pressure as the players in yellow shirts, led by Vinicius Junior, moved the ball skillfully near Japan's penalty area. Vini single-handedly created a clear scoring opportunity for himself and attempted a tricky chipped shot. However, Suzuki managed to deflect the ball with his left hand, causing it to hit the post and go out of play, keeping Japan safe.

What should have been the climax - a vital goal and the highlight of a furious comeback - ended in disbelief as the chance was missed. With the momentum lost, Japan quickly reorganised its unsettled defence and prepared for the game's closing moments.

Every single person in Houston probably was already thinking of extra time, and potentially penalties, but that crazy rollercoaster took another twist - in Brazil's favour, again.

Martinelli came on to replace Matheus Cunha and was left with too much space in the area. He slotted it smoothly into the far corner! Suzuki, that excellent keeper, almost made another out-of-this-world save -almost a carbon copy of his stop against Vinicius. But the luck turned its back on the Samurai Blue this time.

In truth, the Selecao probably deserved it more tonight. They'll be facing the winner of the Norway-Ivory Coast tie. Another jaw-dropping match in prospect... Stay tuned, Brazil is definitely alive!

WORLD CUP - KNOCKOUT STAGE

Round of 32

Sunday

South Africa - Canada 1-0 (0-0)

/Eustaquio 90+2/

Monday

Brazil - Japan 2-1 (0-1)

/Casemiro 56, Martinelli 90+5 - Sano 29/

23.30: (1.40) Germany (4.60) Paraguay (8.00)

Tuesday

04.00: (2.20) Netherlands (3.15) Morocco (3.75)

20.00: (3.50) Ivory Coast (3.55) Norway (2.10)

00.00: (1.30) France (5.80) Sweden (9.00)

Wednesday

04.00: (2.25) Mexico (2.95) Ecuador (3.85)

19.00: (1.30) England (5.20) Dr Congo (11.0)

23.00: (2.15) Belgium (3.25) Senegal (3.75)

Thursday

03.00: (1.43) USA (4.60) B&H (8.50)

22.00: (1.32) Spain (5.25) Austria (10.0)

Friday

02.00: (1.95) Portugal (3.40) Croatia (4.10)

06.00: (1.95) Switzerland (3.45) Algeria (4.00)

21.00: (3.15) Australia (2.95) Egypt (2.55)

Saturday

01.00: (1.17) Argentina (7.50) Cape Verde (16.0)

04.30: (1.70) Colombia (3.60) Ghana (5.50)

***odds are subject to change***