Ancelotti Reveals Why Neymar Stayed on the Bench as Martinelli Sealed Brazil’s 2-1 World Cup Win Over Japan

Brazil got the result. The selection is the story that will follow Carlo Ancelotti into the next press conference. Neymar stayed on the bench for the whole of a 2-1 World Cup win over Japan, and Gabriel Martinelli’s finish was the moment the tie turned.

Ancelotti’s explanation was about the shape he trusted for ninety minutes, not a verdict on a career. He wanted runners in behind, a midfield that could suffer, and a forward line that pressed Japan’s build-up from the first whistle. Martinelli fit that brief. Neymar, he suggested, is a different kind of problem for a different kind of opponent.

Whether that answer holds depends on the next knockout round. Brazil are through. The question of when their most famous attacker starts is now part of the tournament.