Gabriel Martinelli's Last-Minute Winner Sends Brazil to Knockouts

Gabriel Martinelli stepped off the bench and into World Cup folklore, smashing home a 96th-minute winner as Brazil came from behind to beat Japan 2-1 and book their place in the last 16.

One touch to steady himself. One ruthless finish. One stadium in Houston exploding.

This was a night when Brazil flirted with disaster. Carlo Ancelotti’s side trailed at the break, rattled and rushed by a sharp, fearless Japan who refused to bow to the five-time champions. In the 29th minute, Kaishu Sano punished them, finishing a slick move to put the Samurai Blue in front and briefly tilt the tie on its head.

Brazil looked stunned. The rhythm wasn’t there, the swagger missing. Passes went astray, attacks broke down, and the tension in yellow shirts grew with every Japanese counter.

The restart changed the mood.

Eleven minutes into the second half, Brazil finally found the quality their supporters demand. A superb cross from Gabriel – who has quietly become one of Ancelotti’s most trusted figures this tournament – picked out Casemiro at the back post. The midfielder did the rest, thundering in a header to drag Brazil level and jolt the contest back to life.

The goal settled Brazil, but it didn’t settle the tie. Japan stayed brave, kept breaking lines, and for long spells the game felt like it could tilt either way.

So Ancelotti turned to Martinelli.

The Arsenal winger, already in his second World Cup at just 23, entered with the game on a knife-edge and the clock racing towards stoppage time. His task was simple and brutal: change everything.

He did.

Deep into added time, with penalties looming into view, a move born in the Premier League ripped Japan apart. Bournemouth’s Rayan snapped into a challenge on the edge of the box and won the ball back. No hesitation, no backward step. He slid it into Bruno Guimaraes, the Newcastle United captain, who saw the pass that everyone else in the stadium seemed to miss.

The ball from Bruno was surgical, threaded perfectly into Martinelli’s stride. One touch to kill it. One glance at Zion Suzuki. Then a cold, ruthless finish, driven low, kissing the post on its way in.

By the time the net bulged, Martinelli was already turning away, swallowed by a wave of yellow shirts and noise. His first World Cup goal. His fifth for Brazil. His 26th cap. His biggest moment.

Afterwards, the emotion poured out of him. He spoke of joy he couldn’t put into words, of his family, of the Brazilian people, of a shot that had hit the post days earlier and the feeling that another chance would come. This time, it did. This time, it went in.

Alongside him, Gabriel continues to quietly build his own international résumé. The defender is now up to 21 caps and has started all four of Brazil’s World Cup games so far, anchoring a back line that will now carry the weight of knockout expectation.

Next Up

Next up on Sunday: Norway or Ivory Coast. A meeting with Martin Odegaard is on the cards, and with it a guarantee of Arsenal representation in the quarter-finals. For Martinelli and Gabriel, the tournament suddenly feels wide open.

While Brazil surged, Germany stumbled.

Kai Havertz found the net but could not save his country from another brutal World Cup exit, as Germany lost to Paraguay on penalties after a 1-1 draw in normal time.

Paraguay struck first. Julio Enciso pounced in the 42nd minute, giving the South Americans a lead that sent a murmur of disbelief through German supporters who have seen this film too many times in recent years.

Havertz dragged them back. Attacking the box with conviction, he met a Florian Wirtz cross and headed in the equaliser, a classic centre-forward’s goal at a moment when Germany badly needed a response.

They thought they had completed the comeback in extra-time when Jonathan Tah found the net, only for the goal to be ruled out. The reprieve emboldened Paraguay, who dug in, forced penalties, and then delivered the upset.

The shootout became a nightmare. Havertz was one of three German players to miss from the spot as Paraguay held their nerve and sent a heavyweight home.

When it was over, Havertz cut a hollow figure. He called himself speechless, admitted this second World Cup had ended in failure just like the first, and did not hide from the scale of Germany’s recent tournament collapses. Disaster, he called it. A group of players, he said, who must take a long, hard look at themselves, mindful of the history and expectation that comes with representing a country of Germany’s stature.

On one side of the world, Brazil walked off into the night with relief, adrenaline and a last-minute hero. On the other, Germany trudged away with questions that won’t be answered quickly.

The World Cup rolls on. For Martinelli, it has only just caught fire. For Havertz, it may be a long time before the scars of this one fade.