Carlo Ancelotti said referee Jansen Foo Chuan Hui “didn’t have the experience” to oversee Brazil’s 3-2 defeat to Japan in Singapore after the Selecao head coach and Raphinha were sent off for protesting against their opponents’ 91st-minute winner.

Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura scored within five minutes of each other to put Japan on course to avenge their last-gasp defeat in the fixture in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, but Vinicius Junior scored either side of half-time – including a long-range equaliser – before Coventry City winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s decisive effort, which infuriated Brazil because they believed there had been a foul during the build-up.

“He gave me the red card because he said I wasn’t able to control the bench, since the players were on the pitch,” said Ancelotti, via Globo.

“That was the reason. Aside from the result, we played the way we wanted to play, with intensity. The Japanese were dangerous on the counter-attack. We ended up more exposed, trying to press high.”

Japan vs Brazil: Raphinha sorry for red card

La Liga top scorer Raphinha called the official’s display “unacceptable”. “I want to take this opportunity to apologise for my behavior and for being sent off,” the outlet quoted the Barcelona forward as saying.

“But sometimes it’s hard to control myself after, in my opinion, so many mistakes by the referee during the game. I believe he made mistakes at many points in the game. But, man, it’s unacceptable.”

Endrick also struck the woodwork for Brazil. “Some fouls were called for them, but not for us,” claimed midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

“[The referee] let the game continue at times that had nothing to do with it. What he was doing didn’t make sense.”

“I don’t want to talk about the refereeing, I want to talk about us. It was a foul on Joao [Gomes] but I’m not going to get into the refereeing.”

Ancelotti: Brazil ‘showed quality’ vs Japan

“The analysis of the game is that we started well,” reflected Ancelotti. “The team was well-balanced. We lost two duels and the team dropped off a bit, paused.

“We scored two goals, the team reacted well. We played well… with intensity, with rhythm. We could have won the game.

“It’s a shame about the result. I don’t like to lose but we have to look at what we did well. There are players who came on for the first time and showed quality.

“The result was influenced by the referee’s attitude. It’s a high-level match and he doesn’t have the experience to manage this kind of game.”

Bruno Guimaraes: Brazil result ‘upsetting’

Bruno Guimaraes also found cause for encouragement. “We worked hard to [equalise] and we couldn’t let it slip away,” said the new Arsenal signing.

“We wanted to win, but [ultimately would have settled for] the score ending 2-2. We played better than them in the second half.

“The result is bad and losing in this shirt is very upsetting. We have to emphasise that we are a team in transition.

“Japan had 16 players from the World Cup, we had six. It’s a new team that will fluctuate a lot and needs to develop its experience.

“It was a controversial goal. We’re not satisfied and there’s a lot to improve.”

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