2026 World Cup: Brazil pulls off stunning comeback, Japan's curse continues

29.06.26 FT World Cup

Brazil

2

:

Japan

1

Brazil pulled off a dramatic turnaround against Japan on Monday night in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

It’s happened again. Japan keeps stumbling at the same hurdle. For the third consecutive knockout stage, the Blue Samurai struck first only to be ultimately eliminated.

It was the same story against Belgium in 2018 (2-3), Croatia in 2022 (1-1, 1-3 pens), and now Brazil in 2026 (1-2). This recurring script highlights the Japanese squad’s ongoing struggles to handle the biggest stages.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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