Picture : Gabriel Martinelli’s winner for Brazil (at 95 minutes 0 seconds) became the latest winning goal in normal time of the knockout stages of the World Cup.
World Cup 2026 Statistics – Day 19 (June 29) – Round of 32
Brazil vs Japan 2-1
*Brazil are the only nation in history to have finished in the top 16 in every one of the 23 World Cup tournaments held to date.
*Brazil have won each of their last 9 World Cup encounters against non-European nations.
Their last defeat of this kind dates back to 1990 against Argentina in the Round of 16.
*Japan have scored 8 goals at the 2026 World Cup, the joint-most by an Asian nation in a single edition of the tournament.
They equaled South Korea’s continental record from 2002.
*Brazil have named their oldest starting XI for a World Cup knockout game (29 years 245 days) since the 2006 quarter-final against France (30 years 31 days).
*At the same time, Brazil have played a World Cup knockout stage match with two players under the age of 20 (Rayan and Endrick, both 19 years) for the second time;
the first instance was the quarter-final against Wales on 19 June 1958 (Pelé, 17; José Altafini, 19).
*Rayan became the joint-third youngest Brazilian player (19 years 330 days) to start a knockout-stage match in the history of the World Cup.
José Altafini had the same age at his World Cup debut vs Wales in 1958.
The younger starters were:
Pelé (1958, vs Wales) at 17 years 241 days,
Marco Antonio (1970, vs Peru) at 19 years 128 days.
*Brazil won a World Cup knockout stage match after falling behind for the first time since 21 June 2002, against England (quarter-final, 2-1).
Overall, Brazil had come from behind to win a World Cup match in the 2014 group stage against Croatia (3-1).
*Last time Brazil have trailed at halftime in a World Cup match was on 6 July 2018, against Belgium (1-2).
*For the first time in the history of the World Cup, Brazil was losing a knockout match against a team that is neither European nor South American.
*Japan have taken the lead in each of its last three World Cup knockout stage matches. They were eliminated on all three occasions (against Belgium in 2018, Croatia in 2022).
*Japan hold the record for the most World Cup knockout matches played (5) without ever winning a single one.
*Casemiro became Brazil’s second-oldest (34 years and 126 days old) goalscorer in World Cup history, behind only:
Bebeto, who scored against Denmark on 3 July 1998 at the age of 34 years and 137 days.
Thiago Silva is the third on national podium (33 years 278 days, vs Serbia in 2018).
*Casemiro remains unbeaten in World Cups: 12 matches – 9 wins, 3 draws.
*Gabriel Martinelli’s winner for Brazil (at 95 minutes 0 seconds) became the latest winning goal in normal time of the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Five other instances:
Francesco Totti (Italy, 2006 vs Australia, 94:26)
Nacer Chadli (Belgium, 2018 vs Japan, 93:41)
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Netherlands, 2014 vs Mexico, 93:18)
Edgar Davids (Netherlands, 1998 vs Yugoslavia, 91:22)
Stephen Eustáquio (Canada, 2026 vs South Africa, 91:04)
*Bruno Guimarães is the first Brazilian player to provide 4 assists in a single World Cup tournament since Zico in 1982 (also 4).
He has now provided more assists than any other player at the 2026 World Cup (including 1 vs Morocco and 2 vs Scotland). This time he assisted Gabriel Martinelli for a stoppage time winner.
*For the first time in the history of the World Cup, a referee and a coach share the same nationality in a knockout-stage match.
Maurizio Mariani (Italy) was officiating the match involving Carlo Ancelotti as a Brazil’s coach.