What did Carlo Ancelotti say after the victory over Japan?

The Brazil national team advanced to the next stage after defeating Japan 2-1 in the World Cup 2026 round of 32. After the match, Carlo Ancelotti praised his team's second-half reaction and tactical changes.

According to the Italian specialist, Brazil delivered their best performance of the tournament specifically against Japan.

«The important thing is how to respond to mistakes»

Ancelotti emphasized that mistakes are natural in football, and the main issue is the reaction following them.

«Mistakes happen in football, they are unavoidable. What matters is how you react to those mistakes. That is exactly what we showed in the second half», he said.

The head coach added that he was confident his team would score.

Why was the first half difficult?

Ancelotti stated that Japan defended very densely and compactly in the first half.

Brazil initially tried to gain dominance through the center, but the opponent closed those areas.

For this reason:

• it became difficult to create chances;

• no gaps were found in the center;

• attacks did not accelerate as expected.

Tactics changed after the break

Brazil changed their style of play during the interval.

Ancelotti instructed the team to use the wings more and increase pressure inside the penalty area.

«After the break, we tried to play more through the wings and increase pressure in the penalty area. As a result, our game improved significantly», the coach said.

The team remained composed after conceding

When Japan took the lead, the situation became difficult for Brazil.

However, Ancelotti's pupils did not panic and did not lose their game as they had in the first half against Morocco.

According to the Italian specialist, he remained calm even before Martinelli's winning goal.

«The team was playing well. Therefore, I expected the goal to come», said Ancelotti.

Aspects that still need work

Despite the victory, Ancelotti admitted that shortcomings remain in the team.

He stated that the following aspects need improvement:

• utilizing corner kicks;

• strengthening the team structure;

• accelerating attacking movements;

• increasing solutions against dense defenses.

«This was our best game in the tournament»

Ancelotti was satisfied with his team's overall performance at the end of the match.

«I think we showed our best game of the tournament», said the Brazil head coach.

The hard-fought 2-1 victory took the 'pentacampeones' to the round of 16. Now the main question is: can Brazil maintain this momentum in the next stage?

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