Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his side “fell apart mentally” after suffering a stunning 3–2 defeat to Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday — their first-ever loss to the Asian giants. The result marked a setback for the five-time world champions, who had been showing signs of progress under the Italian manager ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup in North America.
Ancelotti, who took charge of Brazil in May following a patchy World Cup qualifying campaign, has focused on building a team that combines tactical adaptability with mental strength. However, Tuesday’s collapse underscored that his young squad still has work to do on the psychological side of their game.
Speaking after the match, Ancelotti did not hide his frustration with the result. “No, everything is not fine. When the team loses, we are upset, which is normal. Everyone is upset. I don’t like to lose, and neither do the players. We have to learn from this defeat, as we always do in football,” he said.
The coach identified a critical defensive lapse as the turning point of the game. “Until (Fabricio) Bruno’s mistake on the first goal, the game was well controlled. After that, the team fell apart mentally. That was the team’s biggest mistake,” Ancelotti explained. “I don’t think the second half was bad overall, but the error had too much of an impact on the players.”
Brazil had gone into the match buoyed by a commanding 5–0 win over South Korea just days earlier, but Ancelotti’s decision to rotate his starting lineup raised eyebrows after the defeat. The coach defended his approach, insisting that such changes were part of the team’s broader development process.
When asked if mistakes like Bruno’s could influence his World Cup squad selection, Ancelotti was clear in his response. “Individual mistakes do not affect a player’s presence in the team. What we have to evaluate is the team’s reaction after the first mistake, which was not good because we lost a little of our balance on the pitch, our positive thinking. It’s a good lesson for the future,” he said.
Looking ahead, Brazil will play Senegal and Tunisia in November friendlies scheduled in England and France. Ancelotti described the coming months as a crucial testing period for his team. “This and the next international break are testing periods, and we will continue testing in November,” he said. “The team played very well against Korea, well in the first half today, and very poorly in the second half.
“In the World Cup, we have to strike a balance. We must learn from our mistakes. It was a good lesson tonight. I think we need to find balance in what we do. It’s a process…”
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