Japan stun Brazil 3-2 in stoppage time as Ancelotti, Raphinha sent off

Brazil forward Raphinha and manager Carlo Ancelotti were shown red cards for protesting against a referee’s decision in the South American giant’s shock defeat to Japan in a thrilling friendly match in Singapore.

Substitute Tatsuhiro Sakamoto netted his first international goal with a late winner on Saturday as Japan edged Brazil 3-2 at the National Stadium.

A brilliant brace by Vinicius Jr had erased a two-goal deficit after strikes by Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura put the Samurai Blue 2-0 up in the opening 19 minutes.

But Sakamoto was in the right place to fire home after latching on to Kodai Sano’s deflected effort in stoppage time to give the Asian side a dramatic victory in front of 38,688 people.

Brazil appealed for a foul in the build-up to the goal, but VAR upheld the goal, and Raphinha and manager Ancelotti were shown red cards for their protests.

Ancelotti seemed surprised at the decision while Raphinha was led away by midfielder Marlon Gomes and team officials as he tried to approach referee Jansen Foo, who was instead confronted by Vinicius and Bruno Guimaraes.

“The referee gave me a red card because he said I wasn’t able to control the bench and that all the players were on the field,” Ancelotti said at a news conference.

“It’s a shame about the result because we don’t like to lose the game, but we have to look at what we did well. There are many positives. Some players who played for the first time showed good quality. For 70 minutes, the team played well.

“The result, obviously, was influenced by the referee’s performance, … but it’s not his fault. It was a high-level match, and I don’t think he had the experience to handle this kind of game.”

Raphinha was still fuming over the “unacceptable” red card as he critiqued the referee’s decisions while speaking to reporters after the match.

“First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise for my behaviour and for being sent off,” Raphinha said.

“Sometimes it’s hard to keep calm, especially after what I felt were so many refereeing errors during the match. I tried to speak to him several times, and not once did I feel he was open to discussion. I believe that he made many errors throughout the game, and that is unacceptable,” the Brazil captain said.

“In my view, their first goal involved a foul when the opponent took the ball off me with his hand. I think it’s a foul, but I can understand why it wasn’t given based on the current law. Then there was the penalty in the first half. In my opinion, it was a penalty, but he said no.

“Then, for their third goal, there was a clear foul on Joao Gomes. With the help of VAR, he eventually allowed the goal. It’s very difficult not to talk about the refereeing.”

The victory carried added significance for Japan, who suffered a heartbreaking exit to Brazil in the World Cup last 32 in June. On that occasion, Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to complete a 2-1 comeback win for the South Americans.

“I’m happy that I can say that today’s match was the best match in my eight-year tenure,” Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu said after the game.

“Brazil’s intensity went up once we took the lead, and it was all about what we could do then.

“Our players performed at the world’s top standard. These wins lead to victories at the World Cup, and I hope they continue to do the same,” Moriyasu added.

The 58-year-old is expected to step down after a friendly against Paraguay on Tuesday and said he is looking forward to handing over to successor Go Oiwa.

“Now I need to pass the baton to the next coach, and that’s all I am focusing on.”