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Cunha double ignites Brazil party as Haiti bid World Cup goodbye
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 20.06.26. | 05:35
Carlo Ancelotti's side are now virtually through to the knockouts, thanks to a three-goal first half
After their slight hiccup against Morocco, Brazil got their 2026 FIFA World Cup party officially started with a comfortable 3-0 win over Haiti at Philadelphia on early Saturday morning.
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Billed as the typical gimme, the World Cup winningest team put any lingering doubts to one corner as they swept tiny Haiti aside, making them the first nation to be officially booted out of the extravaganza.
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In a stadium full of yellow, Carlo Ancelotti’s side lived up to the hype courtesy of three first-half goals from Manchester United star Matheus Cunha and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, placing them top of Group C, and virtually into the knockout stages of the World Cup.
After seeing Raphinha twice denied goals by the offside flag, Selecao got into the lead in the 23rd minute, when Cunha was the beneficiary of an innocuous clearance from Hannes Delcroix, the ball bouncing off the striker to trickle into the net after Vinicius had seen his shot from the left repelled.
Four minutes later, a quick breakaway led into Raphinha shooting meekly at the Haiti goalkeeper, before Brazil added a quickfire second in the 36th minute.
The move to that goal came as the men in blue were taking a slight breather by allowing Haiti some time on the ball, only for a quick turnover to lead into Vinicius spraying a pass into the path of Cunha, who arrowed a shot via his weaker left-foot into the roof of the net.
Two minutes into first half added time, and it was game over, as Vinicius, this time became goalscorer, feeding off a fine pass from Lucas Paqueta to drive a low shot past Johny Placide, effectively seeing off the tie.
The only worry Brazil arguably had in that first half, was the early substitution to star man Raphinha, who left with a slight niggle, paving way for Bournemouth winger Rayan.
The second half, if anything, did provide Haiti a chance to window-dress, but they could not find a memorable goal past Alisson Becker, with Danilo coming big shortly after the hour-mark to whack a goal-bound effort off the line.
On the other end, Brazil failed to add on to the excitement by missing several opportunities in front of goal.
Substitute Gabriel Martinelli was one of the culprits, smashing the crossbar in the 68th minute, while one goal was chalked off for offside later on.
The loudest cheer of the night came when Endrick was introduced in the second half, but there were no worries on the night for the lovers of Brazil, who were urged by their manager pre-game, to maintain a level of ... Calma.
WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 2)
Group C
Saturday 20.06.
Scotland - Morocco 0-1 (0-1)
/Saibari 2/
Brazil - Haiti 3-0 (3-0)
/Cunha 23, 36, Vinicius 45+3/
***odds are subject to change***
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