Japan's under-23s went down 1-0 to Brazil on Wednesday, but still scraped into the Sydney Olympic quarterfinals thanks to Slovakia's 2-1 victory over South Africa in the evening's other Group D match.
The combination of results left Japan and Brazil on six points from three matches, with the South Americans -- who gained revenge for a shock 1-0 defeat to the Japanese at the 1996 Atlanta Games -- finishing top on goals scored.
Japan, 2-1 winners over South Africa and Slovakia in its opening two matches, played without AS Roma midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata and captain Ryuzo Morioka -- both suspended -- and conceded a dreaded early goal after just five minutes.
Unmarked at the back post, Parma midfielder Alex headed a Fabio Aurelio cross past Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki to spark a period of sustained pressure that silenced the huge army of Japanese fans among 36,608 at Brisbane Cricket Ground.