The Selecao were stunned after going 2-0 up against the Asian side in an international friendly.

• Last Update: October 14, 2025 04:11:19 pm BST • 2 min read

Japan loss a ‘good lesson’ for Brazil

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti says his side will learn a “good lesson” after forfeiting a 2-0 lead to lose against Japan in Tuesday’s international friendly.

The Selecao were cruising thanks to goals from Paulo Henrique and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, before a second-half collapse saw the hosts take the win in Tokyo.

Midfielder Casemiro labelled the result as “unacceptable” in what turned out to be a frustrated rant, but the head coach took a more measured approach to his post-match assessment.

He said: “We talked yesterday: this match was for a test and we will continue doing tests in the November games.

“Our planning doesn’t change. It was a good lesson tonight. There are things we need to learn from today’s game, especially in the second half.

“Individual errors do not affect the players’ presence in the team. What we have to evaluate is the team’s reaction after the first error, which was not good. We lost a bit of balance in the game, in attitude, in positive thinking.

“Until Fabricio Bruno’s mistake, the game was well under control.

“I’m very clear about what happened, the team mentally collapsed after the first mistake. That was the team’s biggest mistake. The mistake affected them too much.”

Ancelotti will be hoping to see his side learn their lesson ahead of next summer’s World Cup, where the pressure will be on the entire nation after watching Argentina take home the infamous trophy four years ago.

Brazil are already qualified for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, but will have to be playing at a much better standard to have a chance of making it all the way.