Ancelotti reveals reason behind keeping Neymar benched against Japan

Following the dramatic last-minute victory against Japan, coach Carlo Ancelotti has provided a detailed explanation addressing the questions raised in the football world regarding the absence of Neymar Junior on the pitch.

In response to why Neymar was not deployed on the field, Ancelotti clarified his tactical blueprint.

He revealed that he was primarily saving Neymar for extra time. Ancelotti said, "I had a conversation with Neymar. If we couldn't make a comeback to equalize (while trailing 1-0), he would have been brought onto the pitch around the 60th or 65th minute. But after we scored the equalizer, I didn't want to disrupt the team's current tactical shape or formation because the control of the match was entirely in our hands at that point."

In other words, after trailing in the first half, when Casemiro brought Brazil level in the 56th minute, Ancelotti chose not to risk breaking the winning combination. Furthermore, since Martinelli scored the match-winning goal in the very last minute of the regulation 90 minutes (90+6 minutes), the game did not head into extra time, leaving the decision to keep Neymar on the bench final.