Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in Singapore as Ancelotti and Raphinha are sent off
Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in an international friendly in Singapore, and the night ended with Brazil's head coach sent off too.
A friendly is a match with no trophy at stake, but this one had plenty going on. Japan were 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, after Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura scored. Brazil fought back. Vinicius Junior scored in the 33rd minute and again in the 75th, and the game was level at 2-2 with the clock running down.
Then Tatsuhiro Sakamoto struck in stoppage time, the extra minutes added at the end of a match for injuries and delays, and Japan had the winner. The Guardian reported that the late drama came after a difficult spell for Brazil's bench.
Raphinha was taken off after 71 minutes. He was then shown a straight red card for protesting from the touchline, the area beside the pitch where coaches and substitutes sit. Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil's head coach, was also sent off at the end of the match. Brazil's manager is the man in charge of the team on the day, and his dismissal means he will not be on the touchline as normal for his side's next match.
Across the world in Buenos Aires, Argentina lost 2-1 at home to Uruguay. It was Argentina's first match since Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football in early October, and the game gave the crowd plenty to think about.
Uruguay took the lead in the 48th minute, though not through an attacker. Leonardo Balerdi put the ball into his own net, an own goal, after a defender's mistake. Maximiliano Araújo made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute. Julián Álvarez pulled one back for Argentina in the 73th minute, but there was no time for a comeback.
Diego Forlán coached Uruguay as its new coach, and his side got a win in front of their own supporters. Forlán was one of the country's best-known strikers, and his return to the touchline will draw attention at home.
Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, had extended his contract through 2030 earlier in the same week. Argentina also did not give the No. 10 shirt to any player for the match. That number has a long history with the national team, and leaving it unassigned was a notable choice.
Both sides are back in action soon. Argentina play Costa Rica in Córdoba on Tuesday, and Uruguay host the Dominican Republic on the same day.
For fans, the night was a reminder of how quickly a friendly can turn. A 2-0 lead, a comeback, a stoppage-time winner and two red cards made for a game that few people will forget in a hurry.
