Brazil 3-0 Haiti: Matheus Cunha Brace Seals First World Cup Win and Tops Group C

Cunha's performance was especially notable because he had scored only one goal in his previous 24 appearances for Brazil before this match . His first goal came from a rebound after Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide parried a Vinicius Junior shot, and his second was a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner . Vinicius Junior's goal was set up by a lofted pass from Lucas Paqueta, with the winger slotting the ball through the goalkeeper's legs .

Match summary

Manager Carlo Ancelotti made a key tactical change, replacing Igor Thiago with Matheus Cunha in the starting XI — a decision that paid off immediately . Brazil started with Vinicius Junior and Raphinha on the wings, and the attacking trio proved too much for Haiti's defense to handle in the first half .

Haiti began the match in a defensive 5-4-1 formation but switched to a 4-4-2 after halftime, which gave them more shape but little attacking threat . Brazil dominated the first half but "took their foot off the pedal" in the second, managing the game rather than pushing for more goals . The match was played in front of 68,324 spectators at Philadelphia Stadium .

Brazil also suffered an injury concern when winger Raphinha went off with a hamstring injury, and teenage forward Endrick made his World Cup debut as a substitute .

Group C standings (after matchday 2)

Following Morocco's 1-0 win over Scotland in the same group , the table stood as:

Brazil and Morocco were level on four points, but Brazil topped Group C on goal difference [+2 vs. +1] . Haiti, with zero points and a -4 goal difference, was eliminated from the tournament, becoming the first team officially knocked out of the 2026 World Cup .