What Zion Suzuki Said After Japan's Loss to Brazil in the World Cup

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki said his team will use the experience from the 2026 World Cup to improve on the 2030 edition of the tournament.

Suzuki made these comments after Japan was eliminated by Brazil in the round of 32 at Houston Stadium in the United States on Tuesday. The Samba team's striker, Gabriel Martinelli, scored the winning goal in the 90+6 minute, giving Brazil a 2-1 victory.

"[The goal] was something that shouldn’t have happened, but we’re going to use this experience as fuel, and we’ll carry it with us into the next World Cup," Suzuki said, as quoted on the official FIFA website on Tuesday, as quoted by ANTARA.

Japan got off to a bright start when Kaishu Sano's long-range strike in the 29th minute gave the Samurai Blue a 1-0 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, the momentum shifted quickly in the second half when Carlo Ancelotti changed the game for Brazil by replacing Lucas Paqueta with Endrick.

The substitution of an additional striker paid off as Casemiro equalized in the 56th minute. Brazil then secured a last-minute victory through Martinelli, who came on in the 66th minute for Matheus Cunha.

This victory avenged Brazil's only defeat at the hands of Japan, which occurred in October 2025 with a score of 2-3.

This was Japan's second meeting with Brazil at the World Cup, 20 years after the two sides met in Germany in 2006. That time, the Asian giants were defeated 4-1. This defeat is another setback for Japan in the knockout stages. They previously lost in the round of 16 in four editions.

"Things were going nicely in the first half, but they started putting in more crosses and pushed us back," said Junya Ito, who is playing in his second World Cup after the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Read: How Did Japan Coach Moriyasu React to Painful Defeat to Brazil?

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Who Is Zion Suzuki? Japan's Rising Goalkeeper at World Cup 2026

3 jam lalu