Brazil on target with six goals against Panama

The equation is simple: if Brazil fail to win the World Cup on July 19, the most successful national team in World Cup history will endure its longest-ever wait between two world titles. They waited 24 years between 1970 and 1994; they have now been waiting just as long and are determined not to stretch that drought to 28 years. That is why Carlo Ancelotti was brought in — to turn a disorganized collection of talent into a serious national team. If the rehearsal in Rio de Janeiro is any indication, Brazil will arrive at the World Cup brimming with confidence, despite an underwhelming qualifying campaign. At the legendary Maracana Stadium, in front of a packed crowd, Brazil defeated Panama 6-2 (2-1) in a match that had everything: early goals, stunning strikes, and a ruthless display of attacking power from the Selecao.

The match had barely begun when the Maracana erupted. In just the second minute, Panama midfielder Barcenas made a costly mistake in midfield. Vinícius Junior seized possession, drove forward a few steps, and unleashed a thunderous long-range strike into the net to make it 1-0. Minutes later, the Real Madrid star carved through Panama’s defense again, but goalkeeper Mosquera somehow managed to keep the scoreline intact. Panama refused to panic. Rather than collapsing, the visitors found a shock equalizer in the 15th minute. Murillo’s free kick took a deflection off the wall, completely wrong-footing Alisson before ending up in the net. Unfortunately for Brazil, Matheus Cunha was credited with an own goal.

That goal gave Panama belief. Fidel Escobar tested Brazil from distance, while Ismael Díaz squandered two golden opportunities that could have stunned the hosts and given the team that will face England, Croatia, and Ghana at the World Cup an unlikely lead. The missed chances proved costly. In the 40th minute, Vinícius once again created danger, and captain Casemiro, diving forward, guided the ball into the net with his head to restore Brazil’s lead at 2-1. VAR spent several minutes checking a razor-thin offside decision, but the goal ultimately stood and the Maracana could breathe again before halftime. Then came the second half — and complete chaos. Ancelotti made a bold decision, replacing ten players at the break. Most teams would have lost their rhythm after such sweeping changes. Brazil did the exact opposite and shifted into top gear. First, young Endrick missed a clear chance. Then Mosquera made a dreadful clearance, gifting possession to Rayan, who calmly curled the ball into the empty net for his first international goal in only his second appearance. In the 60th minute, Douglas Santos surged down the flank and cut the ball back to the edge of the box, where Lucas Paqueta struck first time. With the help of a slight deflection, the ball nestled into the corner.

Mosquera’s nightmare continued when he brought down Igor Thiago inside the penalty area. The Brentford striker stepped up, placed the ball on the spot, and confidently sent the goalkeeper one way and the ball the other. The finest move of the evening among Brazil’s substitutes came with the sixth goal. Paqueta floated a delicate lobbed pass into space, and Danilo Santos displayed classic Brazilian flair — controlling the ball in stride before coolly finishing to spark celebrations throughout the stadium. Panama were completely overwhelmed, but they still managed to score the most beautiful goal of the match. Jose Fajardo battled brilliantly for possession on the edge of the penalty area and laid the ball off to Carlos Harvey, who unleashed a magnificent strike from 23 to 24 meters that flew beyond the helpless Ederson — who had replaced Alisson — for the final score of 6-2.

Brazil now pack their bags and head to the United States, where they will face Egypt in their final warm-up match before opening their World Cup campaign against Morocco two weeks later. As for Panama, they have 17 days to regroup, tighten up defensively, and prepare for their historic World Cup opener against Ghana. If nothing else, they showed plenty of fight during the first half. But against a Brazil side playing like this, there was simply no stopping them.