Matheus Cunha kick-started Brazil’s World Cup campaign by scoring twice in a comfortable 3-0 victory over Haiti in Group C.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side needed a response after drawing with Morocco in their opening match and his decision to drop Brentford striker Igor Thiago for Manchester United forward Cunha paid off in Philadelphia.
Cunha forced in a deserved opener in the 23rd minute, turning home a rebound from Vinicius Junior’s saved effort although the forward was fortunate the goal stood after accidentally kicking defender Hannes Delcroix as he deflected the ball over the line.
But there could be no doubts over Cunha’s second strike that he superbly smashed in high at the near post with his left foot as he fell away off balance before Vinicius Jr rolled in a third during stoppage time to cap Brazil’s impressive first-half performance.
The only negative for Brazil was winger Raphinha being forced off in the 40th minute with an apparent hamstring injury. The Barcelona forward later had an ice pack strapped to the back of his right leg.
Bournemouth’s Rayan replaced Raphinha, with Neymar still yet to return from a calf problem, while teenager Endrick made his World Cup debut in the second half, having a goal ruled out for offside as Brazil eased off.
Brazil’s victory puts them top of Group C on goal difference although top spot is wide open heading into the final round of fixtures on Wednesday when they face Scotland, who were beaten by Morocco on Tuesday. Haiti’s second defeat meant they became the first country to be eliminated.
The key moments from Philadelphia…
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23: GOAL! Cunha forces in a deserved opener from close range after Vinicius Jr’s shot is saved.
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36: GOAL! Cunha strikes again, smashing in a brilliant left-footed shot high into the net at the near post.
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40: RAPHINHA INJURED! The winger looks worried as he is forced off with a possible hamstring injury.
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45+3: GOAL! Vinicius Jr slots in his second goal of the World Cup and Brazil’s third before half-time.
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64: ENDRICK ON! The Brazilian teenager comes off the bench to make his World Cup debut.
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78: OFFSIDE! Endrick has a goal ruled out after being played in by Rayan.
Surfin’ USA!
Cunha pulled out his trademark celebration – twice!
Matheus Cunha celebrates after scoring his first goal
Vinicius Junior (left) and Lucas Paqueta (right) join Matheus Cunha in celebrating his second
Ancelotti delivers but issues still to solve
Sky Sports’ David Richardson:
Did anyone ever doubt Carlo Ancelotti? Brazil were under pressure to deliver after a poor showing against Morocco and the iconic manager’s big decision paid off.
Starting Cunha over Thiago meant Brazil had a fluid frontline as their makeshift striker was able to drop deeper and interchange with Vinicius Jr and Raphinha to unlock the five-man Haiti defence, who didn’t help themselves by playing too high.
The pace of the front three exposed the space in behind to earn a routine win, although much tougher tests lie in wait, with the 78-place gap between the two countries being the biggest in this year’s group stages.
There were still some worrying statistics for Ancelotti. Brazil’s eight shots were the joint-fourth fewest since 1966 by any team to score at least three goals in a World Cup fixture and only two were in the second half, their joint-lowest figure on record after half time.
Raphinha’s injury also presents a new problem for a team that, at 30 years and 190 days, was their oldest starting XI at a World Cup match since 1962. Ancelotti introduced Rayan and Endrick from the bench and may now be forced to give the kids a start.
