With a confident performance and two outstanding individual players, Brazil secured a mandatory win against Haiti. The game was already decided before the break.
Matheus Cunha, who has Bundesliga experience, initiated the deserved but largely lackluster 3-0 (3-0) with a double strike in the 23rd and 36th minutes. Vinicius Júnior scored the third goal in stoppage time in the first half (45+3).
Haiti started the duel with the record world champions in a refreshingly courageous manner, combining loosely and quickly from their own defense and actually had 50 percent possession of the ball after a quarter of an hour. Brazil initially didn’t find any solutions until Bruno Guimaraes had a brilliant idea: with a lobbed through pass he undermined the Haitian defense, Raphinha took the ball strongly and slammed it into the left corner – but he was just offside.
Delcroix shoots Cunha
The Barca star’s next dangerous action looked more like the same height, although the Spanish referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández again ruled it offside: Bruno Guimaraes had played deep again, this time Raphinha lofted the ball over Haiti keeper Johny Placide – but also just past the goal to the left.
But a minute later Placide was defeated, and he played a big part in that. Vinicius Júnior, in his typical style, curved from the left to the middle and shot, Placide flicked the ball forward. Cunha was a little later than Hannes Delcroix at the six-yard box, but Haiti’s defender shot at the former Hertha and Leipzig player as he tried to clear the ball. The goal counted, even though Cunha stepped on Delcroix’s foot; the scene was considered a fight for the ball.
Vinicius Junior once again as provider
After that, however, the Haitians’ courage was gone in a flash. Brazil stayed on the accelerator, pushed the blatant outsiders ever deeper into the defense and created more chances. Especially against Vinicius Júnior’s solo runs, Sébastien Migné’s team couldn’t find a solution; the Real Madrid striker once again provided the preparatory work to make it 2-0 thanks to Cunha’s cracker into the left corner.
Matheus Cunha was able to thank Vini Jr. for the second preliminary work
Before the break, Vini Júnior had his third contribution to the goal – and this time he was able to celebrate himself. Lucas Paquetá provided the assist, but the keeper from French second division club SC Bastia once again didn’t make the best impression when he shot low from a half-left position. The statistics of the game had now largely returned to normal: Brazil went into the break with 63 percent ball possession and 7-0 shots on goal.
Too much administration, too many bad passes
Carlo Ancelotti’s second half on the Brazilian bench was obviously based on the motto “conserve energy”. In contrast to the DFB team against Curacao, for example, the desire for further goals was limited, Brazil switched to management mode and repeatedly played bad passes on the few quick counterattacks.
Haiti almost took advantage of the Selecao’s collective lethargy to score a consolation goal in the 63rd minute, but Alisson Becker parried Adé’s header, who had beaten Marquinhos.
Class parade by Placide
Only after almost 70 minutes did the Brazilian fans in Philadelphia get something exciting again: Substitute Gabriel Martinelli took a hard shot from the left half from a suspected offside position, this time Placide showed a terrific reaction and directed the ball onto the crossbar. The flag went up on the sidelines, but doubts remained.
Johny Placide directs a strong shot from Martinelli with his fingertips onto the underbar
Shortly afterwards, Endrick’s shot was checked because his shot landed in the Haiti goal after a pass from Rayan – this time the offside position was actually proven. The brave Haitians continued to fight for the 1:3 until the final whistle, but Becker made two very good saves against Isidor and Ruben Providence.
Brazil still has to play against Scotland
Brazil continues against Scotland on Thursday (00:00 CEST) in Miami. Haiti meets Morocco at the same time in Atlanta. Nothing has been decided yet in Group C with a view to the knockout round: Brazil and Morocco are ahead with four points each, but the Scots with three points can still become group winners.