Manchester United icon Roy Keane delivered a blunt evaluation of Casemiro’s performance during Brazil’s clash with Japan.

Japan dominated the opening half and deservedly went ahead through Kaishu Sano, who capitalised on a misplaced pass from Danilo, surged past Casemiro, and struck a precise shot into the bottom corner beyond a helpless Alisson.

Brazil found it difficult to break down Japan’s organised defence but looked rejuvenated in the second half following Carlo Ancelotti’s decision to bring on Endrick.

Casemiro went from being criticised to celebrated when he leapt above the defence to meet Gabriel’s cross at the far post and powered a header into the net just ten minutes after the break.

Moments later, Brazil pressed hard for a winner. Vinicius Junior picked up the ball just inside Japan’s half, nutmegged his first opponent, drove into the box, skipped past another defender and aimed for the far corner, but goalkeeper Zion Suzuki managed to get a vital touch that deflected the shot onto the post.

Brazil maintained their attacking momentum and were eventually rewarded in stoppage time. After Ao Tanaka lost the ball, Bruno Guimarães threaded a pass to Gabriel Martinelli, who finished with precision off the post to seal victory.

Although Casemiro was named FIFA’s Man of the Match, Keane pointed out both the strengths and flaws in his display.

Speaking on ITV during half-time, Keane commented on Brazil’s fragile midfield, saying, “A huge worry throughout the competition and it’s cost them.”

He continued, “They made an error earlier in the match with the midfielders stepping out of position, and Casemiro is already on a yellow card, which certainly impacts his decision-making when closing down the goalscorer.”

Keane went on, “They’re giving the ball away too easily, but there’s still a long way to go. The frustrating thing for me is seeing Casemiro’s first movement being to step forward.”

“He should be tracking back, shielding the goal, and slowing the attacker down. He’s an experienced player, but experience is meaningless if you don’t use it properly.”

“Credit to the attacking midfielder – that was very, very good – but Casemiro almost showed him the path forward. He needed to stay goal-side, keep retreating, slow him down, and allow support to arrive. It was a fine strike, well deserved, but from Brazil’s midfield perspective, that was far from good enough. I’d be surprised if he comes out for the second half.”

Contrary to expectations, Ancelotti retained Casemiro after the break, and the five-time Champions League winner partially redeemed himself in Keane’s view.

“Obviously, it’s been a great reaction since half-time. He made one tactical change to get more crosses into the box, and they’re committing more players forward,” Keane said.

“We’ve criticised Casemiro’s defending, but we know he can be a goal threat, always present in the box. The cross was excellent, but Casemiro… he tracked it perfectly, and his timing—my goodness, his timing was superb.”

“Then again, we shouldn’t be shocked because he’s scored so many brilliant goals for United. He’s a real aerial danger; his instincts in the box are like those of a top striker.”

Casemiro and his Brazilian teammates are now set to face either Norway or Ivory Coast in the Round of 16.