by sportswriters Cao Jianjie and Wang Haoming
HOUSTON, United States, June 29 (Xinhua) -- It seemed Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti had an obvious decision to make with his team trailing 1-0 at halftime of its World Cup round-of-32 match against Japan.
Casemiro had to come off.
The 34-year-old had struggled to keep pace with Japan's swift counterattacks, mistiming tackles and misplacing passes in a midfield that looked slow and panicky.
Japan's opener just before the half-hour in Houston was a case in point. Kaishu Sano intercepted Danilo's errant pass, breezed past a stationary Casemiro and rifled a clinical finish beyond Alisson.
Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes also failed to make any meaningful impact, but Casemiro's performance drew the most attention. Already on a yellow card, he seemed to hesitate as Sano raced toward goal, perhaps fearing a second booking would leave Brazil with 10 men.
Social media was baying for a substitution. To the casual observer, it was exactly what Brazil needed.
Ancelotti saw it differently.
The Italian knows Casemiro well, having been his manager during their trophy-laden time together at Real Madrid. It was also Ancelotti who recalled the veteran to the national team after taking charge of Brazil in May last year.
Instead of removing Casemiro, the 67-year-old strategist decided to leave him on the pitch. His only halftime change was to replace the injured and ineffective Paqueta with Endrick.
The teenager's task was to operate centrally, drawing the attention of Japan's central defenders and allowing Matheus Cunha to drop deeper into midfield. Although Endrick was often crowded out, his positioning helped Brazil attack more consistently down the flanks.
Vinicius hugged the left touchline and Rayan stayed wide on the right, stretching Japan's defense and creating spaces that had barely existed before the interval.
Vinicius, in particular, came to life after the break. The Real Madrid attacker almost produced the goal of the tournament, winning possession in midfield, nutmegging Takehiro Tomiyasu and embarking on a mazy run before seeing his shot pushed onto the post by Zion Suzuki.
But it was Casemiro who made the difference.
The veteran repaid his manager's faith by meeting Gabriel's cross at the far post and thumping a header beyond Suzuki.
Ancelotti then faced another decision.
Many expected Neymar to be introduced next after the forward's encouraging 20-minute cameo against Scotland in the group stage, his first appearance for the national team in almost three years.
But Ancelotti resisted the temptation to turn to Brazil's all-time leading scorer. He opted for Gabriel Martinelli instead, deploying the Arsenal forward through the middle rather than in his usual role on the left.
The move was vindicated in stoppage time when Martinelli latched onto Guimaraes' threaded pass and beat Suzuki at his far post. This may not be the Brazil of Pele, Romario, Rivaldo or Ronaldo. But in Ancelotti it has another type of genius, one that may prove just as decisive. ■
