Soccer

Japan Marks 1st Victory over Brazil in Int’l Soccer Friendly

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese players celebrate their first win over Brazil at Tokyo Stadium on Tuesday

Jiji Press

8:21 JST, October 15, 2025

Tokyo, Oct. 14 (Jiji Press)—The Japanese men’s national soccer team, dubbed Samurai Blue, achieved its first victory over Brazil on Tuesday, winning 3-2 in an international friendly at Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.

The match featured a come-from-behind effort by Japan, ranked 19th in the latest FIFA rankings, to secure the win against Brazil, ranked sixth.

Trailing by two goals in the second half, Takumi Minamino, an AS Monaco midfielder, brought the first goal to Japan. Keito Nakamura, who plays for Stade de Reims, then scored the equalizer. The winning goal was made by Ayase Ueda, a Feyenoord forward.

Prior to Tuesday’s match, Japan had tied twice and lost 11 times against Brazil, the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history with five titles.

Under coach Hajime Moriyasu, Japan has also secured victories over three other World Cup-winning teams—Uruguay, Germany and Spain.