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On Friday night in Philadelphia, Brazil claimed their first win of the tournament with an impressive 3-0 win against Haiti, who put in a heroic performance – holding 0-0 and even threatening Alisson’s goal several times in the second half – but unfortunately couldn’t handle the overwhelming power of the five-time World Cup champions.
As a result of the win and the score, Brazil took the Group C position thanks to a better goal difference to Morocco, who won 1-0 against Scotland earlier in the evening. For Haiti, its World Cup is now effectively over after zero points from the first two games.
It was a big night for Matheus Cunha who came into the starting XI, replacing Igor Thiago after his quiet performance against Morocco. The Manchester United star thanked Carlo Ancelotti with a finish, scoring in the 26th and 36th minutes respectively.
Vinicius Jr. scored the third after a lovely ball from Lucas Paquetá and when that happened the night was over. And unfortunately, so was Haiti’s World Cup.
It was also the first time since 1958 that Brazil played a match with two teenagers on the pitch as Endrick and Rayan came on later in the game. It speaks volumes for Ancelotti’s faith in his young stars and how, at this World Cup, if you’re good enough, you’ll have a chance to shine for the national team.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Viní continues to lead by example
(Photo by Marcel Bonte/Soccrates/Getty Images)
After some individual brilliance against Morocco, where he scored the equalizer against the Atlas Lions to earn a point, the Real Madrid star gave us another magnificent performance tonight in Philadelphia. His assist for Cunha and stoppage time goal in the first half rounded off three assists in the competition so far.
But the game against Haiti was also about his commitment off the ball as he often tracked back to help Douglas Santos on the left.
That is exactly what Ancelotti needs from Vinícius Jr, who knows that at this World Cup he must inspire his team to infuse confidence through the squad. And that’s exactly what he did.
2. Paquetà’s complete performance
(Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The Flamengo man was superb on Friday, particularly in the first half when Brazil did all the damage. He controlled the middle of the pitch, won matches and, when possible, created opportunities that threatened Haiti’s goal. His main highlight was the lovely assist he had for Vinícius Jr.’s goal. Their chemistry is born out of their childhood friendship from their Flamengo academy days. In the past, Vinicius has called Paquetá his best friend in football and you can see why as their understanding in possession is evident.
If Paquetá can maintain this momentum, then it will solve a few problems for Brazil’s midfield.
3. How much will Raphinha’s injury affect Brazil?
(Photo by Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Unfortunately for the Barcelona man, his night was over in the first half when Bournemouth’s Rayan replaced him in the 40th minute. It appeared to be a hamstring injury and is a big loss for Brazil, who rely on his electric play on the right wing. But Rayan, who had a strong debut season for the Cherries with five goals and two assists after only joining in January, will look to take this opportunity to show his manager why he deserves a starting role. Or maybe it’s Gabriel Martinelli, as the Arsenal winger was lively when he came on in the 64th minute.
However, there is no doubt that Raphinha will be missed. Even with a quiet start to the World Cup campaign, like Vinícius Jr., he is someone who could single-handedly change the game for the Seleção.
4. Haiti’s overall heroic performance deserved more
(Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Due to the loss, coupled with that to Scotland, Haiti is unfortunately largely out of the World Cup due to zero points with no goals scored. But rather than decipher its post-mortem, I will honor Les Grenadiers as we must remember how it achieved this World Cup spot in the first place. It reached the tournament for the first time since 1974 without playing any of its qualifying matches at home. Due to gang violence that took over the national stadium in Port-au-Prince more than two years ago, the team was unable to play in front of its own fans for this campaign. And yet it worked.
I think regardless of what happened here, Haiti deserves massive recognition.
