BLUE WAVE ENGULFS BRAZIL

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu told his players to celebrate their 3-2 friendly win over Brazil on Tuesday, but warned it would paint a target on their backs at next year's World Cup.

Japan claimed its first-ever win over Brazil after roaring back in the second half to stun Carlo Ancelotti's side in Tokyo.

Japan has never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup, but Moriyasu has said it is aiming to lift the trophy at next year's FIFA showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It beat Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Moriyasu said its victory over Brazil will have been felt around the world.

"I want the players to celebrate this result, but strong teams will pay us more attention from now on," he said. "Beating top teams like Brazil in official competitions requires progress and caution, and I want the players to build on the confidence they have got from today's result."

Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli scored as Brazil turned on the style in the opening 45 minutes, four days after thrashing South Korea 5-0 in Seoul.

But Japan hit back after the break, with goals from Takumi Minamino, Keito Nakamura and Ayase Ueda sending the crowd of almost 45,000 wild.

It was Japan's first win over Brazil in 14 attempts.

"Beating Brazil can have a big impact on us going into the World Cup," said Nakamura.

"We still have games to play in November and March, and we want to keep this going."

It was Brazil's second defeat since the Italian Ancelotti took over in May, following a 1-0 away loss to Bolivia in World Cup qualifying.

Ancelotti said his team needed better balance, but vowed to continue experimenting with his lineup before the World Cup.

"We need to learn from the mistakes we made in the second half," said Ancelotti.

"I think the biggest problem was not having a good reaction to the first mistake."

'Players worked hard'

Ancelotti shuffled his lineup from the team that hammered South Korea, dropping goalscorers Estevao and Rodrygo to the bench along with Manchester United's Matheus Cunha.

Martinelli and Luiz Henrique came in to partner Vinicius Junior up front.

Japan was missing several injured regulars including Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma and Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo.

Brazil opened the scoring with a slick passing move that sent Paulo Henrique clear, and the Vasco da Gama defender finished in style.

Martinelli made it two just minutes later, when he smashed the ball past goalkeeper Zion Suzuki after Lucas Paqueta had found him with a clever chipped pass.

Japan pulled one back seven minutes into the second half, when Minamino pounced on a loose ball by Fabricio Bruno and blasted it past Hugo Souza.

"That goal was the start of our comeback, and it's great that it led to the win," said Minamino.

The host then grabbed the equalizer when Nakamura turned in the ball at the back post, via a heavy deflection from the hapless Bruno.

Ueda then hit the crossbar, before putting Japan in front a minute later with a bullet header.

Brazil tried to find a way back into the game, but Japan dealt comfortably with its attacks and could have added to its own tally.

"It was a friendly, but it's not easy to beat Brazil," said Moriyasu.

"Our players worked hard and we are trying every day to improve the level of the team.

"The players work for the team and for the country, and they showed that today."

Call for mental resilience

Ancelotti has urged his players to develop greater mental resilience after the shock defeat.

The Italian emphasized the need to learn from the errors that led to the host's stunning second-half comeback, as he prepares his squad for next year's World Cup.

Ancelotti, who took charge in May following Brazil's inconsistent World Cup qualifying campaign, has focused on building a team that is both adaptable and mentally robust.

Despite showing signs of progress in recent matches, Tuesday's defeat highlighted areas requiring improvement and called into question the coach's decision to field a heavily rotated side from Friday's commanding five-goal rout of South Korea.

"No, everything is not fine. When the team loses, we are upset, which is normal. Everyone is upset. I don't like to lose, and neither do the players. We have to learn from this defeat, as we always do in football," Ancelotti said.

"Until Bruno's mistake on the first goal, the game was well-controlled. After that, the team fell apart mentally. That was the team's biggest mistake," he said.

"I don't think the second half was bad overall, but the error had too much of an impact on the players."

When asked if such mistakes could influence squad selection for the World Cup, Ancelotti dismissed the notion, instead focusing on the team's collective response.

"Individual mistakes do not affect a player's presence in the team. What we have to evaluate is the team's reaction after the first mistake, which was not good, because we lost a little of our balance on the pitch, our positive thinking. It's a good lesson for the future," he said.

Brazil's next fixtures are friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia in November, to be played in England and France, respectively.

"This, and the next international break, are testing periods, and we will continue testing in November," Ancelotti said. "The team played very well against Korea, well in the first half today, and very poorly in the second half.

"In the World Cup, we have to strike a balance. We must learn from our mistakes. It was a good lesson tonight. I think we need to find balance in what we do. It's a process..."

Agencies