The dramatic late winner that secured Brazil's spot in the World Cup knockout stage has been hailed as one of the most thrilling moments in tournament history.
Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal in the 96th minute of Brazil's match against Japan, booking their spot against Norway or Ivory Coast in the next round.
The strike from Martinelli was the latest ever winning goal at the World Cup scored before extra time in a knockout match, surpassing Italy's Francesco Totti who netted the winner for Italy against Australia in 2006 at 94 minutes and 26 seconds.
Martinelli, who came off the bench to produce a smart finish, sparked wild celebrations from the Brazil squad and expressed his joy and pride at securing the crucial goal.
"We were fighting all through the game, we wanted to keep ball possession. At some point we know we would get close to goal. Japan close the defence really nice but we did a good job, really controlled the match and finally generated the winning opportunity," Martinelli said.
He added that the goal represented a lot for him and his family, who were watching the match, and that it gave him and the team confidence to move forward.
Brazil's Casemiro, who was criticised for Japan's goal but redeemed himself with Brazil's first, praised his team's calm and patience, saying that their confidence and pressure were key to securing the win.
"I think it was about our calm and our patience and pressuring and pressuring a team that was playing a very low block. We believed the time would come, our confidence and our pressure were key for this match," Casemiro said.
