The Brazilian national team will face a new confrontation against its Japanese counterpart when they meet, on Saturday, in an international friendly match in Singapore, 5 months after the Seleção's fatal victory over its Asian rival in the second round of the North American World Cup, but with long-term goals set by its Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti.
Gabriel Martinelli snatched the winning goal for the Seleção team in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and led them to a 2-1 victory over Japan last June in Houston.
But Brazil's World Cup campaign ended with the same result against Norway in the 16th final.
Ancelotti is currently seeking to build a team for the future. His list of 26 players for the matches against Japan, this weekend, and host Singapore on Tuesday, includes 15 players under the age of 23.
The Italian coach told reporters on Friday: “The World Cup marked the end of a stage for a generation of players,” adding: “We are now working to build a new generation that will be ready and competitive in our next official entitlements, which are the Copa America Cup in 2028 and the World Cup in 2030.”
He continued: “I think we have great potential. We are watching the young players, including new faces who are with us here, and we are very satisfied with what we see.”
He added: “We have young players with a lot of quality and talent. Therefore, we look to the future with confidence.”
The 67-year-old coach did not want to single out any player with exceptional praise, explaining: “You can notice their behavior in training and the extent of their concentration. They have given us all great confidence in the future; Because we see players with a high level.”
He added: “They may lack some experience, and this is normal for young players.”
Barcelona's Spanish striker Rafinha, who is performing at remarkable levels with the Catalan club, will lead the Brazilian national team against Japan.
Rafinha said: “My expectations are positive.” It is clear that we are going through a rebuilding phase with the presence of new players, but I see elements with a high level and a great desire to give everything they have to defend the national team shirt.”
Rafinha participated in only two matches during the World Cup, due to an injury to the posterior thigh muscle.
He added: “This is a World Cup-level match, as we saw in the last World Cup. It will be a very difficult confrontation; Because we know the quality of the Japanese team.”
On the other hand, Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu recalled the eight years he spent at the helm of the coaching staff, amid expectations of his departure after facing Paraguay in Singapore, on Tuesday, to be succeeded by the coach of the Olympic team (Under-23 years), Go Oiwa.
Moriyasu said: “There are many things that we were able to achieve and succeed in, but on the other hand, there were things that we were not able to accomplish.”
He concluded: “I succeeded in expanding the base of options and enhancing the depth of the lineup.”
It was decided to appoint Valérian Ismail as technical director of Le Havre, on Friday, until the end of the current season, at a time when the club is currently at the bottom of the French Football League Championship standings.
The former French defender (51 years old) takes over as coach, succeeding coach Didier Dijer, and faces an extremely difficult task if he wants to maintain the club’s position among the elite French clubs.
Le Havre has not achieved any victory so far in its career in the French League during the current season, contenting itself with obtaining only two points in its first ten matches in the competition.
Ismail has a long coaching career, having previously led teams in Germany, Greece, Austria, Turkey, and England.
In a statement issued late Thursday evening, Le Havre Club indicated that Ismail had previously dealt with “emergency situations,” something that “may be very useful to him in the coming weeks.”
It is noteworthy that Le Havre Club, which was founded in 1872 and is considered the oldest club in French professional football, was acquired by the Blue Crew Group in July 2025.
The club's fans hold this group, which is based in Houston and operates several clubs, responsible for the team's troubling sporting situation, and earlier this month, groups of fans demanded the owners' departure.
Jack Grealish, loaned to the English football team Everton, apologized for his absence from participating with the team, due to his violation of the club’s disciplinary rules.
Grealish, the English Manchester City player, who is spending a second loan period at Everton, missed the team’s last four matches, as his last participation was on October 17.
The English player returned to participate in a match held without fans against Derby County on Thursday, and subsequently posted a message on his account on the Instagram application in which he touched on his recent absence.
Grealish wrote: “Great to be back on the field with my teammates today after a good few days of training. “I would like to apologize to the fans and everyone at the club for my inability to help the team over the past few weeks.”
Grealish added: “I love playing for this club, and I am looking forward to returning again to play in front of you in an Everton shirt. "See you soon."
For his part, Scottish coach David Moyes, Everton's coach, expressed reservations about revealing precise details related to the behavior of Grealish (31 years old), as the club merely said that the veteran winger "was not fully physically ready" before the match that took place against Newcastle United on November 2.
It is noteworthy that Grealish, who is considered one of the most controversial and talked-about players in English football, was previously the most expensive player in the history of British football, after his transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021 for 100 million pounds ($139 million).
Grealish contributed to Manchester City achieving the historic treble (the English Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League) in 2023, but he stayed away from the team’s accounts during the past two years.
