Brazil bounced back from their opening draw with Morocco by cruising to a 3-0 victory over Haiti in Group C, with Matheus Cunha stealing the show with a brace.
Under pressure to secure their first win of the tournament, Carlo Ancelotti’s men delivered an impressive display in Philadelphia. The coach’s decision to hand Cunha a starting role ahead of Igor Thiago proved inspired as the Manchester United forward opened the scoring midway through the first half.
Cunha reacted quickest after Vinicius Junior’s effort was saved, bundling the rebound into the net despite protests from Haiti after the Brazilian accidentally caught defender Hannes Delcroix in the build-up.
The forward doubled Brazil’s advantage in spectacular fashion shortly before halftime, firing a powerful left-footed strike into the roof of the net from a tight angle while losing his balance. Vinicius Jr then added a third in stoppage time to cap a dominant first-half performance.
Brazil’s only concern came when winger Raphinha limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury just five minutes before the break. The Barcelona star was later seen with an ice pack strapped to his right leg.
With Neymar still sidelined by a calf injury, Bournemouth youngster Rayan came on to replace Raphinha, while teenage sensation Endrick made his World Cup debut in the second half. The youngster thought he had marked the occasion with a goal, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.
The victory moved Brazil to the top of Group C on goal difference ahead of the final round of matches, where they will face Scotland. Haiti, meanwhile, became the first team to be eliminated from the tournament after suffering a second consecutive defeat.
