Brazil Defeats Haiti to Top Group C with Cunha's Brace

Brazil (world ranking 6th) comfortably defeated Haiti (83rd) on the back of Matheus Cunha's brace to climb to the top of their group.

Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 in their second Group C match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Philadelphia Stadium in Pennsylvania, U.S., on June 20 (KST).

Having drawn 1-1 with Morocco on June 14, Brazil's victory today brought their record to one win and one draw, putting them at the top of Group C with four points.

Brazil, aiming for their first World Cup title in 24 years, will play their final group match against Scotland on June 25.

A draw against Scotland will guarantee them a top-two finish in the group, securing a spot in the round of 32 knockout stage.

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti, who brought Cunha on as a second-half substitute in the previous match against Morocco, started him today, and Cunha responded to the expectations with a brace.

Vinicius Junior was involved in all the goals, leading Brazil to victory.

They filled the void left by Neymar, who missed the first two group matches due to a right calf injury.

On the other hand, Haiti, with two losses, became the first team in the tournament to be eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage.

Even if Haiti wins their final match against Morocco on June 25 and Scotland loses to Brazil, leaving both teams tied on three points, Haiti would still finish fourth in the group due to their 1-0 head-to-head loss to Scotland in the opening match.

Although they reached the World Cup finals for the first time in 52 years since the 1974 West Germany World Cup, they failed to secure their first-ever tournament win once again.

Deploying a 4-4-2 formation, Brazil continuously targeted the space behind Haiti's defense throughout the first half to create opportunities.

Haiti, playing in a 5-4-1 formation, was overwhelmed by Brazil and failed to record a single shot in the first half.

In the 9th minute, Vinicius used his pace to penetrate the penalty area but was blocked by a Haitian defender before he could get a shot off.

Brazil opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, capitalizing on a disorganized Haitian defense.

Vinicius Junior received a pass from Bruno Guimaraes and took a left-footed shot inside the penalty box. The ball spilled by Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide deflected off Matheus Cunha and went into the net.

In the 36th minute, Brazil extended their lead with Cunha's second goal.

After winning possession in midfield, Brazil launched a counterattack with a rapid dribble by Vinicius Junior. Cunha received a through ball from Vinicius and fired a left-footed shot from a tight angle into the top of the net.

Three minutes into first-half stoppage time, Vinicius, who had assisted Cunha's second goal, scored the sealer to make it 3-0.

Lucas Paqueta delivered an exquisite lobbed pass behind the Haitian defense, and Vinicius, beating the offside trap, slotted a right-footed shot into the far corner past goalkeeper Johny Placide.

Brazil secured their victory by holding off Haiti's counterattacks in the second half.

Haiti sought a consolation goal 18 minutes into the second half with a header from Ricardo Ade during a corner kick, but it was denied by a fine save from Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Even with the game well in hand, Brazil continuously looked for more goals.

24 minutes into the second half, Gabriel Martinelli hit the crossbar with a first-time right-footed shot off a pass from Vinicius. 33 minutes into the second half, Endrick found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Four minutes into second-half stoppage time, Haiti attempted to pull one back with a long-range shot from Dominique Simon, but Alisson Becker parried it away.

Ultimately, Haiti failed to score, and Brazil walked away with a 3-0 victory.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.