2026 World Cup: Carlo Ancelotti’s reaction to the game-winning goal goes viral
Brazil advanced to the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan in Houston, decided by a 96th-minute goal from Martinelli. The Arsenal forward was brought on in the second half by head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who made the right substitution. After the match, the coach from Reggiolo received widespread praise from both the Brazilian media and the fans.
What caused the biggest stir, however, was his reaction to Martinelli’s 96th-minute goal: while all the players and his assistants sprinted onto the field to celebrate, Ancelotti nonchalantly turned around and walked back to his bench, his expression impassive. The video immediately went viral on social media.
After the match, Ancelotti explained why he didn’t bring Neymar into the game: “We expected him to come on in extra time. After the equalizer, I didn’t want to change the formation because the team had control of the match; otherwise, I would have brought him on earlier.” On the substitutions: “We have a lot of depth and we need to make the most of it. It was a very demanding game. Japan isn’t an easy team to face; they play an intense game and are very organized.”
The match, refereed by Italian Mariani at NRG Stadium in Houston, saw Brazil dominate the first half without, however, managing to score. Kaishu Sano caught the Seleção off guard in the 30th minute: the Mainz midfielder took advantage of a lapse by Danilo in the attacking third to break toward Alisson’s goal and beat the Liverpool goalkeeper with a precise diagonal shot from the edge of the box. It was anything but a foregone conclusion for Sano, who had never scored in his previous 15 appearances for the national team and had never particularly distinguished himself as a goal-scorer throughout his career.
In the second half, Ancelotti brought on Endrick for Paquetà, adding a forward and increasing the offensive pressure. The move paid off: in the 55th minute, Casemiro headed home a cross from Gabriel to equalize a match that seemed to be slipping away. Brazil then came close to taking the lead on several occasions—with Vinicius hitting the post in the 58th minute and Rayan being outwitted by Suzuki in the 74th minute—before Martinelli scored the decisive goal in the 96th minute off an assist from Bruno Guimaraes.
