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Brazil secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, thanks to a last-gasp goal deep into stoppage time. Winger Gabriel Martinelli emerged as the undisputed hero for the "Seleção," netting the winning strike in the 95th minute of the Houston clash, which propelled his team into the Round of 16.
This heart-stopping goal has officially etched its place in World Cup history with a remarkable statistical achievement. It stands as the latest winning goal (95:00) ever scored in regular time (within the 90 minutes and their added time) during the knockout phase of a World Cup, since these statistics began being recorded in 1966.
Martinelli surpassed the previous memorable record in direct eliminations, which was held by Francesco Totti. At the 2006 World Cup, the Italian legend also secured victory for his team with a late penalty against Australia in the 95th minute (94:55). However, the Brazilian's goal in Houston came mere seconds later within the same minute, relegating Totti to second place in the historical ranking for the latest winning goal in regular time.
In the history of the World Cup finals, there are very few instances of goals scored after the 90th minute in the knockout phase that directly decide a match. Previous memorable late goals – such as Fabio Grosso's against Germany in the 119th minute in 2006 or Andrés Iniesta's in the 2010 final in the 116th minute – always occurred within the grueling 30 minutes of extra time. The Brazilian, however, sealed his team's triumph in the very last second of regular time, sparing his teammates additional minutes on the pitch.
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