Matheus Cunha scored his first FIFA World Cup goals as Brazil cruised to a convincing 3-0 victory over Haiti at Philadelphia Stadium on Friday, earning their first win of the tournament and boosting their chances of topping Group C.
Brazil entered the match after a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening fixture, while Haiti arrived under pressure following a narrow defeat to Scotland. Although Haiti showed brief moments of promise, Brazil’s superior quality eventually proved too much.
The Seleção thought they had made the perfect start in the 12th minute when Raphinha found the net with a neat finish. However, the celebrations were cut short after the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
Haiti responded with a spell of possession midway through the first half. Carlens Arcus delivered a dangerous cross from the right flank, but it sailed over the heads of his teammates. The move was eventually halted anyway as Arcus had strayed offside.
Brazil finally broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through a fortunate goal from Cunha. Vinicius Junior’s initial effort forced a save before Haiti defender Hannes Delcroix attempted to clear. Instead, the ball ricocheted off Cunha’s knee and rolled into the net, giving Brazil a deserved lead.
Cunha doubled both his tally and Brazil’s advantage in the 36th minute with a finish of far greater quality. Vinicius Junior slipped a perfectly weighted pass into his path, and the forward still had plenty to do. From a difficult angle on his weaker left foot, Cunha rifled an outstanding strike into the roof of the net.
Brazil suffered a setback before the break when Raphinha limped off with a suspected muscle injury. The Barcelona winger received encouragement from teammates as he made way for Bournemouth youngster Rayan.
Despite that concern, Brazil effectively sealed the victory deep into first-half stoppage time. Lucas Paqueta floated a superb pass over the Haiti defence, sending Vinicius Junior clear on goal. The Real Madrid star kept his composure and calmly slotted past the goalkeeper to score his second goal of the tournament and make it 3-0.
Brazil continued to dominate after the restart and almost added another goal in the 53rd minute. A brilliant long pass released Vinicius Junior behind the defence, but a recovering Haiti defender forced him wide. The Brazilian winger delayed his shot and eventually wasted the opportunity with a poor final pass.
Haiti nearly pulled one back in the 63rd minute when Ricardo Adé met a corner inside the box. However, Alisson Becker reacted sharply to produce an excellent save and preserve Brazil’s clean sheet.
Brazil then produced one of the moments of the match in the 69th minute. Vinicius Junior and Gabriel Martinelli exchanged a series of stylish first-time flicks before Martinelli smashed a powerful effort against the crossbar. The move would not have counted because an offside flag had already gone up, but it showcased Brazil’s attacking flair.
Substitute Endrick thought he had added a fourth goal in the 78th minute after finding the net, only for the offside flag to deny him.
Brazil comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure all three points and move into a strong position in Group C. Cunha’s brace and Vinicius Junior’s continued influence highlighted the attacking threat that makes Brazil one of the favourites for the tournament.
This was the first World Cup meeting between Brazil and Haiti. The two nations had met three times previously, with Brazil winning every encounter while scoring 17 goals and conceding only once. Their most recent clash came at the 2016 Copa América, where Brazil recorded a 7-1 victory in Orlando.
The match also featured the largest FIFA World Ranking gap in this year’s group stage, with Brazil ranked sixth in the world and Haiti 84th. On the evidence of this performance, that difference was clear as Brazil delivered a professional display to claim a vital World Cup victory.
