Brazil surrendered a two-goal lead in a complete second-half collapse as they suffered a humiliating 3-2 friendly defeat to Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti's side had looked very comfortable at the break courtesy of fine strikes from Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli, but they conspired to throw away their advantage - crumbling under pressure from their spirited hosts.

Carlo Ancelotti insists Neymar remains in his plans for the World Cup next year, but has warned the Santos star that he must be fully fit to earn a recall to the final Brazil squad. The forward has not played for the Selecao since October 2023, in a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, but Ancelotti says he could yet play a part in next summer's tournament.

Brazil endured their worst qualification campaign ever for the 2026 World Cup, finishing fifth in the CONMEBOL standings on just 28 points from 18 matches. The Selecao lost home and away to arch-rivals Argentina, with a 4-1 drubbing at the Estadio Monumental ultimately costing Dorival Junior his job as manager, and they were also handily beaten by Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay and Bolivia. But hope for the 2026 finals remains high, with Carlo Ancelotti now holding the reins for the most successful national team in history.

Lucas Vazquez has reflected on his time at Real Madrid, naming Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos as the most “spectacular” teammates he’s ever played with. The 34-year-old, now at Bayer Leverkusen, also picked Zinedine Zidane ahead of Carlo Ancelotti as the coach who left the greatest mark on his career after 18 trophy-laden years with Los Blancos.

A fire erupted at the home of Real Madrid and Brazil star Vinicius Junior on Thursday morning. The Los Blancos forward is currently away on international duty with Brazil, who take on South Korea and Japan during the break, meaning the property was thankfully vacant as the blaze ripped through his home. An electrical malfunction is believed to have been the cause of the fire.