The goal that paved the way for and a place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ came from a cross by the unlikeliest of sources.
Centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and, instead of simply laying it off to his nearest team-mate, looked up and delivered a pinpoint cross that was finished by, of all people, Casemiro, Brazil’s supposed holding midfielder. It was unusual, to say the least, but also revealing of how far the Arsenal defender has come.
And that perfect cross for Casemiro’s header was no one-off either. As his side first chased an equaliser and then the goal that would secure their 2-1 victory over Japan, Gabriel repeatedly stepped out of his defensive role and into that of Brazil’s playmaker.
“We knew that in the first half, we needed to get more bodies into the box, because they were defending almost as a 5-4-1 and making it difficult for us to find a way through,” said Casemiro. "In the second half, that’s exactly what [Carlo Ancelotti] asked us to do — get more bodies into the box, and that’s where the goal came from. We had other chances too. [Vinicius Jr] had an effort that somehow stayed out and I had a header that their goalkeeper did brilliantly to save,” he added.
However, when Ancelotti made his half-time adjustment in Houston, he may not have expected the aerial assist that spared Brazil a first-knockout-round exit at this World Cup to come from a centre-back. But when the moment came, Gabriel was ready.
During a campaign that delivered Arsenal their first Premier League title since 2003/04 and a UEFA Champions League runners-up finish for the second time in their history, the 28-year-old has often looked as much like a goalscoring centre-forward or creative midfielder as a centre-back, being responsible for some of their most effective attacking moves.
At 6ft 2in, he is Brazil’s tallest outfield player and one of the tallest members of the English champions’ squad. It also explains why the defender is one of the main targets in the box for free-kicks and corners in the set-pieces that have become a Gunners trademark this season.
As a result, Gabriel scored three goals in the most recent Premier League season, averaging almost a shot a match, or 0.8 to be precise.
Of course, defenders who find the net are not all that rare, particularly those with a strong aerial game. What sets the Brazilian apart, however, is that he managed something highly unusual for a player in his position by recording more assists than goals, with four during the Arsenal campaign.
That tally even surpasses those of some of the London club’s midfielders, including Mikel Merino (3), Eberechi Eze (2) and Martín Zubimendi (1). At international level, Gabriel has yet to show much of his goalscoring prowess, with just one from 21 appearances, against Venezuela in World Cup qualifying in 2023.
His playmaking, however, has already proved decisive in this tournament — and in Brazil’s qualification for the Round of 16.
Sources: FIFA Official
