Haiti’s historic return to the FIFA World Cup came to an end after a dominant Brazil side secured a 3-0 victory to advance to the knockout stage, making the Caribbean nation the first team eliminated from contention in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Led by a brilliant performance from Matheus Cunha, Brazil delivered the result they needed in front of a large contingent of supporters at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Cunha scored twice, while Vinícius Júnior contributed a goal and an assist to seal the victory.
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Haiti, appearing at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, struggled to contain Brazil’s attack despite several key saves by veteran goalkeeper Johny Placide.
Brazil suffered an early scare when Raphinha was forced off with an injury after having a goal ruled out for offside. However, the Seleção soon found their rhythm.
Vinícius Júnior was instrumental in the opening goal. After his initial effort was saved by Placide, Cunha reacted quickest to score the rebound and register his first World Cup goal. The Manchester United striker doubled Brazil’s advantage minutes later, latching onto a perfectly weighted pass from Vinícius before unleashing a powerful left-footed strike into the top corner.
Vinícius added Brazil’s third before halftime, effectively ending the contest and leaving fans optimistic ahead of the team’s final Group C encounter against Scotland.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed after the match that star forward Neymar is expected to return from a calf injury for the final group-stage match after missing Brazil’s first two games.
