Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti has revealed why he did not field star player Neymar during Brazil's victory over Japan in the round of 16 at the World Cup, confirming that he had planned to bring the squad captain on if the match went to extra time, before Gabriel Martinelli settled the contest in the 95th minute.
Ancelotti said after the match: "We were waiting for Neymar for extra time. I spoke with him, and he was going to come on in the 60th or 65th minute, but we came back in the score and I did not want to change the organisation because the team was controlling the match."
During the second half, Neymar began warming up on the touchline, while chants of his name rang out from the stands in the 25th minute. Moments later, Ancelotti decided to halt the Brazilian star's warm-up and keep the remaining substitutes in reserve, as the Brazilian national team had been trailing at the end of the first half.
In the second half, Casemiro succeeded in equalising, before Martinelli scored the winning goal in the final moments, leading Brazil into the round of 16, where they will face Norway or Ivory Coast.
Ancelotti praised the depth of his squad, saying: "We have many options, both on the bench and on the pitch, and it is good that the players are delivering high individual performances. We must appreciate that. It was a very difficult match, and Japan is not an easy team — they are organised and very intense in their rhythm."