In the giddy aftermath of a thrilling comeback victory that saw Japan beat Brazil for the first time ever and send a packed Ajinomoto Stadium into delirium, it may seem churlish to nitpick over the manner of the win. But with next year¡¯s World Cup looming, it is hard not to notice that Samurai Blue is making a habit of living on the edge against the world¡¯s top teams.
Brazil dominated in the first half on Tuesday and was good value in achieving its 2-0 lead at halftime. After adopting a more aggressive, pressing approach in the second half, it was two disastrous errors from center-back Fabricio Bruno that allowed Japan to equalize before Ayase Ueda scored the winning goal with a thunderous header from a corner.
The turnaround was reminiscent of wins over major soccer forces at the previous World Cup in Qatar. Japan stunned Germany in the group stage with two late goals to win 2-1 ¡ª one of two comeback victories with that score at the 2022 tournament after a controversial assist from a video assistant referee allowed Ao Tanaka¡¯s goal to stand against Spain.
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