The referee finally blows the whistle after more than 6 minutes of injury time. Nervy moments in the end for Brazil, but they get the job done in the Round of 32 thanks to goals from Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli. They now enter the Round of 16, where they will play either Ivory Coast or Norway on July 5 at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Thanks for tuning in!

90 6' - GOAL! UNBELIEVABLE DRAMA IN HOUSTON! GABRIEL MARTINELLI SNATCHES IT AT THE DEATH! Talk about an injury-time heartbreak for Japan! Danilo fiercely robs the ball back deep in transition, squaring it to Endrick, who smartly lays it off for Bruno Guimaraes. The midfielder spots Martinelli completely unmarked inside the box and slides a perfect ball into his path. Martinelli takes a composed touch and places it beautifully into the far corner-Suzuki gets a desperate hand to it, but the ball rattles the inside of the post and hits the back of the net. Brazil have surely won it!

88' - BLOCKED FOR A CORNER! Vinicius fakes a pass to Martinelli on the left wing, cutting inside with blistering speed to unleash a shot-but a Japanese defender throws himself in the way to deflect it behind! Vinicius is instantly up, pumping his arms and gesturing for the Houston crowd to raise the volume! Relentless pressure from Brazil.

83' - Another double change for Japan! Shuto Machino and Ao Tanaka are introduced for the remaining 13 minutes of regulation time. Junya Ito and the booked Daichi Kamada are the men making way as Japan desperately look for some fresh legs to stem the tide.

77' - Another double change for Japan! Shuto Machino and Ao Tanaka are introduced for the remaining 13 minutes of regulation time. Junya Ito and the booked Daichi Kamada are the men making way as Japan desperately look for some fresh legs to stem the tide.

72' - CORNER FOR BRAZIL! Gabriel is causing all sorts of problems with his aerial threat today. Another dangerous ball is swung towards the back post, but Rayan's goal-bound header is bravely blocked behind. Japan have completely lost their edge in this second half-can they survive this relentless phase of Brazilian dominance?

65' - Brazil make another changes as Matheus Cunha is replaced by Gabriel Martinelli. Japan also make changes as Nakamura and Doan come off for J Suzuki and Sugawara.

59' - Off the post and cleared! What a run by Vinicius! Beats Tomiyasu with a nutmeg. He turns another Japan player inside out in the box and then pokes the ball past a diving Suzuki, but the ball comes off the post after hitting the goalkeeper's glove. Crucial touch that from Suzuki!

56' - GOAL! CASEMIRO EQUALISES FOR BRAZIL! He makes no mistake at the far post! Gabriel Magalhaes curls a vicious ball towards the back post, and Casemiro rises highest to power his header home. Game on in Houston! With that strike, he becomes the second-oldest goalscorer in Brazil's history!

53' - HOW HAS THAT NOT GONE IN?! Casemiro's header is miraculously cleared off the line! A deep cross towards the back post is headed back into the centre. Casemiro launches into a diving header that takes a deflection before a Japanese defender somehow scrambles it clear. Japan are living on the absolute edge right now!

51' - SAVED! Danilo whips a dangerous ball into the centre and Guimaraes rises highest to power a header towards goal, but Suzuki makes a sharp save to deny Brazil the equaliser!

47' - A tempting cross from Maeda somehow finds Doan lurking at the far post! However, Douglas Santos reacts quickly to clear it away from danger. Japan aren't sitting back!

46' - Looks like Endrick is about to come on for Brazil at the break! Still no sign of Neymar, however, who is still wearing his training bib on the bench. Lucas Paqueta, who seemingly picked up a knock in the first half, is the man to make way. SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!

Japan lead Brazil 1-0 at half-time, thanks to Kaishu Sano's 29th-minute strike. Sano intercepted the ball inside his own half before embarking on a brilliant 40-yard run to finish past Alisson. Brazil had a couple of shots on goal, but not enough to trouble Zion Suzuki in Japan's goal.

Big second half coming up!

44' - Just a minute remaining before the close of the first half. Japan have grown in confidence since the goal, but they turn the ball over deep inside Brazil's half. Guimaraes instantly triggers a swift counter-attack, forcing Kamada to halt the break with a clumsy challenge. He goes straight into the book, earning a yellow card for his trouble.

37' - Matheus Cunha takes a hopeful shot from 30 yards out, but it lands comfortably in the arms of Suzuki. Easy catch for the Japanese goalkeeper. Brazil are clearly losing their patience—that's their second long-range effort in the last five minutes to completely lack conviction.

30' - GOAL! Kaishu Sano stuns Brazil with an incredible solo run and finish! He intercepts the ball inside his own half and makes a brilliant 40-yard sprint before drilling the ball into the back of the net past Alisson. Shocking defending from Brazil! They might seriously struggle to break down Japan's low block for the rest of this game.

26' - Both keepers have been largely untested so far. Japan win another corner as Nakamura's cross is blocked by Magalhaes down the right channel. Ueda rises highest, but his header is well wide of the goal. Japan are growing into the game!

23' - Brazilian legends Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, and Oscar are all in attendance in Houston tonight! Meanwhile, Brazil have a free-kick near the byline, but play is temporarily paused as the players move towards the touchline for a quick hydration break.

14' - Yellow Card! Casemiro goes into the referee's book for a foul on Ito on the edge of the box. Japan win a free-kick from a dangerous position. However, Daichi Kamada's attempt hits the wall and goes out for a corner.

9' - A long ball is played towards Danilo on the right flank. He lets it drop and lifts the ball in towards the far post. Paquetá chests it down and takes a shot, but it is blocked. Guimaraes fires a shot on the rebound, but Japan scramble it clear!

5' - It's been all Brazil in the first five minutes! They win a free-kick after Asano brings down Vinicius. Two men stand over the set piece, but it's Bruno who takes it. He floats a dangerous ball into the centre and Suzuki almost spills it, but the keeper makes a timely recovery!

1' - We are underway! Early chance for Brazil! Cunha's left-footed effort deflected off a defender for a corner. That was a great attack from the Selecao!

The two sets of players emerge from the tunnel at the Houston Stadium. First up is Brazil's national anthem, to be followed by Japan's. There is a massive Brazilian presence in the stands tonight, no doubt aided by Houston's geographical proximity.

For the other Brazilian players, this is just a knockout tie. But for Neymar, it's a reunion with his favourite opponent. The Selecao's all-time top scorer already has nine goals to his name against the Samurai Blue-more than he has managed against South American minnows Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

Brazil XI: Alisson (GK), Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Danilo, Douglas Santos, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, Vinicius Junior, Matheus Cunha, Rayan

Japan XI: Zion Suzuki (GK), Shogo Taniguchi, Hiroki Ito, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ritsu Doan, Daizen Maeda, Keito Nakamura, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Kaishu Sano, Ayase Ueda.

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Japan forward Kento Shiogai sparked major controversy after he claimed that Neymar "wasn't the same anymore" and suggested that Brazil no longer command the same level of respect as it once did.

However, Brazil defender Marquinhos took a jibe at Shiogai, saying that their opponents are focused on talking, while they prioritise doing their job with humility.

"It's good that they keep talking to keep motivating our team. We've been in the United States for a month, working with a lot of humility. We leave that talk to the opponents, let them keep talking a lot to motivate us," the defender stated as quoted by Goal.com.

Veteran defender Yuto Nagatomo feels Japan's rate of improvement in football has outpaced Brazil's in recent years. However, Japan has never beaten Brazil in a competitive fixture. Their only win against the five-time champions came during a friendly last year, which they won 3-2 after staging a comeback.

Speaking on the eve of the match, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said Neymar's fitness has improved considerably over the past week. The 34-year-old Neymar, who missed the first two games of the FIFA World Cup, came off the bench in the closing stages in Brazil's comfortable victory against Scotland by 3-0.

"In the last week, his progress has been significant," Ancelotti told reporters on Sunday, as quoted by Reuters. Unfortunately, he could not play longer than 15 minutes before, but he is now doing well enough to play more."

Hello and welcome to NDTV Sports' live coverage of the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 clash between Brazil and Japan. We are coming to you live from Houston, where a coveted place in the pre-quarterfinals is up for grabs!

Stay tuned for all the live updates!