Pep Guardiola on Japan's first-half performance against Brazil:
🗣️ “I don't know what Hajime Moriyasu has done with this Japanese team, but what I'm watching is extraordinary. People spent weeks talking about Brazil's stars, yet for forty-five minutes it's Japan who have looked like the real giants on this pitch.”
“Brazil have world-class players in every position. Alisson, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães, Vinícius Júnior... these are names that strike fear across world football. But today, Japan have completely ignored reputations and played with courage, intelligence and absolute belief.”
“Nakamura, Kamada, Sano and Doan have been fearless. Every attack looks dangerous, every press is coordinated, and every player is fighting as if this is the biggest moment of their lives. That mentality is worth more than any transfer fee.”
“What impresses me most is the discipline. Tomiyasu, Taniguchi and Ito have made Brazil's attack look ordinary. When you can silence players like Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha on the biggest stage, you're doing something very special.”
“This is why football is the greatest sport in the world. Expensive squads don't win matches teams do. Right now Japan look hungrier, sharper and mentally stronger than Brazil.”
“If Brazil don't change something immediately, this could become one of the biggest World Cup shocks we've seen in years. Japan aren't just competing anymore... they're making Brazil suffer.”
🚨 Zlatan Ibrahimović on Kaishu Sano scoring the opening goal for Japan against Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32:
🗣️ “What are we witnessing? This is exactly why the FIFA World Cup is the greatest tournament in football. Nobody expected this. Everyone looked at the fixture and assumed Brazil would control the game from the first minute, but Japan have just turned the script upside down.”
“Kaishu Sano has delivered a moment that will be remembered in Japanese football forever. To score against Brazil on the biggest stage of them all is something players dream about as children. The confidence, the timing of the run and the finish—it was absolutely brilliant. You have to give Japan enormous credit because they didn’t come here to defend for ninety minutes. They came here believing they could hurt Brazil.”
“Now look at the Brazilian players. You can already see the pressure building. The crowd is stunned, the bench is stunned and suddenly everything Brazil planned has changed. This is what happens when you allow a team like Japan to believe. Once they smell an opportunity, they become even more dangerous.”
“People always talk about Brazil’s history, the five World Cups, the legendary players and the famous yellow shirt. None of that matters if you don’t perform for ninety minutes. Football doesn’t care about your past—it only rewards what you do today. Japan have understood that from the first whistle.”
“But let me say this as well—if you’re Brazil, don’t panic. Champions respond when they’re under pressure. This goal has made the match ten times more exciting because now we’ll discover what this Brazilian team is really made of. Japan have thrown the first punch, but the question now is whether Brazil have the mentality to punch back. That’s what makes nights like these unforgettable.”
{@talkSPORT }
Paul Scholes on Japan being eliminated from the FIFA World Cup after losing to Brazil:
🗣️ “This is one of those nights that reminds you how ruthless football can be. Japan were seconds away from making history, but against Brazil, switching off for just one moment is enough to end your World Cup.”
“I honestly feel devastated for those players. They ran themselves into the ground, defended with unbelievable courage and played with absolutely no fear. They deserved to leave that pitch with pride, not heartbreak.”
“The scoreline will say Brazil won, but anyone who watched this match knows Japan pushed one of football's greatest nations to its absolute limit. They didn't lose because they were the weaker team—they lost because football at this level is decided by the finest of margins.”
“You can already see the tears on their faces, and that's because this wasn't just another game. This was a dream shared by an entire nation. Those players gave everything they had, and sometimes even that isn't enough.”
“Japan may be out of the World Cup, but they've won the respect of millions around the world. Performances like this are remembered long after the tournament is over.”
“Brazil march on, but they'll know they survived one of the toughest tests of their campaign. Japan leave with broken hearts, yet they leave as heroes in the eyes of football.”