HOUSTON - Brazil substitute Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to complete a thrilling 2-1 comeback win over Japan in the World Cup Round of 32 on Monday.
Record five-time winners Brazil, whose World Cup title drought stands at 24 years, had gone behind to Mainz midfielder Kaishū Sano's first international goal just before the 30-minute mark.
Brazil looked stunned but returned for the second half with renewed vigor and starlet Endrick off the bench.
Casemiro had a header cleared off the line but moments later headed in the equalizer from Gabriel's cross after narrowly avoiding an offside call.
The 56-minute equalizer was quickly followed by Vinícius Júnior hitting the post after a weaving run that thrilled Brazil fans inside the cavernous Houston Stadium.
Brazil kept probing, and Japan could not get out of its half, yet the Samurai Blue rearguard looked as though it might force extra time.
But Arsenal winger Martinelli found a modicum of space in the box, and his effort went in off the post five minutes into injury time.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Seleção will face Ivory Coast or Norway in the Round of 16 on Sunday in New Jersey.
Ancelotti said: "I think the win was deserved, even in the first half we played well. In the second half we had even more of the game. We have a strong team and irrespective of who plays, the players are on a high individual level."
Since last lifting the trophy in 2002, once-mighty Brazil have gone out in four quarterfinals and in the semifinals of their 2014 home tournament after a 7-1 mauling by Germany.
Laid siege
If they do not win the World Cup in North America, the 2030 edition will mark Brazil's longest run without the men's trophy since the same gap before its first success in 1958.
Their wait looked set to continue at halftime following Sano's superb opener. He charged forward after Brazil lost the ball, and the defense backed off, allowing him to place his shot into the corner of the net from just outside the area.
It was far from vintage Brazil, which topped its group with seven points without being brilliant.
But the recruitment of storied Ancelotti, the first foreigner to coach the Seleção, paid off in the form of his halftime team talk and adjustments at the break.
Endrick's introduction for midfielder Lucas Paquetá was a clear attacking move, and Ancelotti's side came out flying.
Brazil laid siege to the Japan goal, and it was no surprise when it equalized and eventually prevailed thanks to Martinelli's first World Cup goal. Ancelotti did not even have to bring on veteran Neymar, whom he was saving for extra time.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, whose side beat Brazil 3-2 in a Tokyo friendly last year, made four changes to the starting XI from its final group game, when it drew 1-1 with Sweden.
It initially appeared to have worked perfectly.
Japan had finished second in its group, and some Brazil fans at the interval were no doubt wondering about the vagaries of this expanded tournament, given other group winners are playing teams that finished third in their pools instead.
But in the end, Japan's best finish at a men's World Cup remains the first knockout round.
Moriyasu said: "I’m very disappointed that we have to leave the tournament at this stage, but the players gave their all today, as they did throughout the journey to reach this point.
"Right now I’m devastated after giving everything we had, but I want to accept this result and use it to become an even stronger team."