Brazil suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Japan in a thrilling friendly in Singapore on Saturday, with manager Carlo Ancelotti and forward Raphinha both shown red cards for protesting against a referee’s decision. Substitute Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored the winner in stoppage time at the National Stadium, his first international goal, in front of 38,688 spectators.
Japan led 2-0 within the opening 19 minutes through Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura. A brilliant brace from Vinicius Jr erased the deficit for the South American side, but the match turned again late on. Sakamoto was in the right place to finish after latching on to a deflected effort from Kodai Sano.
Sakamoto’s stoppage-time winner decides Singapore friendly
Sakamoto’s goal came after Sano’s shot was deflected into his path, giving the Asian side a dramatic victory. The result was a significant one for the hosts of the match, who had seen their hopes of a World Cup run ended by Brazil earlier this year.
Japan had previously suffered a heartbreaking exit to Brazil in the World Cup last 32 in June. On that occasion, Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to complete a 2-1 comeback win for the South Americans. This time the roles were reversed in the same closing minutes.
Red cards follow VAR decision and protests
Brazil had appealed for a foul in the build-up to Sakamoto’s goal, but the video assistant referee upheld the decision. Raphinha and Ancelotti were both shown red cards for their protests. Ancelotti appeared surprised by the decision, while Raphinha was led away by midfielder Marlon Gomes and team officials as he tried to approach referee Jansen Foo.
Foo was instead confronted by Vinicius and Bruno Guimaraes. Ancelotti later explained his dismissal at a news conference.
“The referee gave me a red card because he said I wasn’t able to control the bench and that all the players were on the field,” Ancelotti said.
The Brazil coach admitted the result was disappointing but pointed to positives. “There are many positives. Some players who played for the first time showed good quality. For 70 minutes, the team played well,” he said. He also said the referee had struggled with a match of this level.
Raphinha, who called his dismissal unacceptable, said he regretted his conduct. “First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise for my behaviour and for being sent off,” he said. He added that he had tried to speak to the referee several times without success and criticised several of the decisions made during the game.
He pointed to a foul that he felt should have been given in the build-up to Japan’s first goal, a penalty claim in the first half, and a foul on Joao Gomes before the third goal. “It’s very difficult not to talk about the refereeing,” the captain said.
Moriyasu praises performance ahead of coaching handover
Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu described the win as the best match of his eight-year tenure. “I’m happy that I can say that today’s match was the best match in my eight-year tenure,” he said after the game.
Moriyasu said Brazil’s intensity had risen once Japan took the lead, and that the focus then became what his side could do in response. “Our players performed at the world’s top standard. These wins lead to victories at the World Cup, and I hope they continue to do the same,” he added.
The 58-year-old is expected to step down after a friendly against Paraguay on Tuesday. He said he is looking forward to handing over to his successor, Go Oiwa. “Now I need to pass the baton to the next coach, and that’s all I am focusing on,” Moriyasu said.
