China came from behind to deny Brazil its first World Baseball Classic victory with a 5-2 win in their first-round Pool A game here on Tuesday.

Brazil led 2-0 in the eighth inning but China scored its first run on a bases-loaded walk before Ray Chang hit a soft fly ball to left field that scored two and gave the Chinese a 3-2 lead.

The Chinese added two more runs on bases-loaded walks before Lu Jiangang recorded the final out.

"We were a different team in the eighth inning," said China coach John McLaren, whose team bounced back after a 12-0 thrashing against Cuba the day before to defeat a scrappy Brazil side.

"There was cheerleading going on, there was chanting going on. They stepped up... We did well."

With the win, China improved to 1-2 and earned a spot in the next Classic, while Brazil (0-3) will be forced to qualify for the next tournament.

Japan plays Cuba on Wednesday to decide the group winner. Both teams have already advanced to second-round Pool 1 starting Friday. They will be joined in Tokyo by the Netherlands, and either Chinese Taipei or two-time semifinalist South Korea.