Dhaka, June 30 -- Brazil's quest for a sixth World Cup star looked under severe threat until a 96th-minute moment of sheer brilliance rewrote the script.

In a blistering Round of 32 clash at the Houston Stadium on either side on Monday midnight, the 2026 World Cup witnessed a resilient, lightning-fast Japan threatened to stage a famous upset, only for five-time champions Brazil to conjure up an extraordinary, stoppage-time resurrection.

Long before the first whistle, the scale of the task facing the somewhat depleted Samurai Blue seemed mountainous as Japan were forced to take the pitch without their best player.

The talismanic Takefusa Kubo remained sidelined, still recovering from a meniscus injury. Widely hailed as the "Japanese Mes...