7M - Brazil 3-0 Haiti: Matheus Cunha and Vinicius Junior shine for Carlo Ancelottis team to claim first World Cup victory

Brazil moved to the summit of Group C following a convincing 3-0 triumph against Haiti at Philadelphia Stadium.

Carlo Ancelotti's side faced significant pressure entering the match after a draw with Morocco in their opener. However, they found their rhythm to secure their first victory of the 2026 World Cup. Matheus Cunha, entering the starting lineup in place of Igor Thiago, struck twice for the Selecao, while Vinicius Junior contributed a goal and an assist in the comfortable win.

The breakthrough arrived in the 23rd minute after Raphinha had an early effort disallowed for offside. Cunha opened the scoring when he deflected an attempted clearance by Hannes Delcroix into the net. The Manchester United attacker doubled the advantage after the half-hour mark, firing a shot into the top-left corner following a pass from Vinicius.

Vinicius then extended the lead to 3-0 during first-half stoppage time. Lucas Paqueta delivered a lofted pass over the Haiti defensive line, allowing the winger to control the ball and finish between the legs of goalkeeper Johny Placide. With this display, Vinicius has been involved in three goals over his opening two games at this World Cup. He becomes just the third Brazilian player in the 21st century to achieve this, alongside Elano in 2010 and Rivaldo in 2002. Cunha also joined an elite group, becoming the fifth Brazilian player to score a brace in a 21st-century World Cup fixture, following Ronaldo, Neymar, Luis Fabiano, and Richarlison.

Brazil also solidified their backline after facing criticism against Morocco. Their defense did not allow Haiti a single shot during the opening 45 minutes, a feat Brazil had not accomplished in a World Cup match since playing Scotland in 1990.

Haiti generated some attacking threat during the second half. They nearly scored in the 63rd minute when Ricardo Ade won an aerial duel against Marquinhos from a corner kick, but goalkeeper Alisson stopped the effort with a quick reflex save.

Later in the half, Endrick made his World Cup debut off the bench. The young forward thought he had added a fourth goal, but his celebration was cut short by the offside flag after he timed his run too early on a pass from Bruno Guimaraes.

The only negative for the South American side was an injury to Raphinha. The Barcelona winger had to be replaced in the 40th minute due to a suspected hamstring problem.

Ultimately, it was a fully merited victory for Brazil, who generated 1.5 expected goals (xG) from eight shots, while restricting Haiti to just 0.25 xG from their eight attempts.