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

Japan defeated Brazil 3-2 in a friendly match in Singapore thanks to a late goal by substitute Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, with Brazil captain Raphinha and manager Carlo Ancelotti both receiving red cards for protesting the referee's decision.

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

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.

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

"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 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.

"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.

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