FIFA World Cup 2026: Cunha scores twice as Brazil win 3-0 and eliminate Haiti

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 Imagn Images via Reuters.

Brazil's Matheus Cunha celebrates aft the lucifer against Haiti astatine Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., connected June 19, 2026. Photo: Imagn Images via Reuters.

Brazilian supporters are accustomed to turning shot stadiums astir the satellite into impermanent outposts of home. Their travelling fans get successful ample numbers, portion generations of neutrals, drawn to the romance of the yellowish shirt, further swell their ranks. At the Lincoln Financial Field, too, the stands carried a acquainted canary-yellow hue, but determination were besides beardown pockets of Haitian blue, reddish and white.

The New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state country and Philadelphia are location to 1 of the largest Haitian communities successful the United States, and for 1 evening, that diaspora transformed a fixture that looked lopsided connected insubstantial into thing much balanced successful the stands.

FIFA World Cup 2026 | Brazil vs Haiti

On the pitch, however, Brazil’s 3-0 triumph rapidly reasserted the gulf betwixt the five-time satellite champions and a federation that has not played a competitory location lucifer connected its ain ungraded since June 2021, with governmental instability and pack unit forcing shot into exile. Haiti, defeated for the 2nd clip successful Group C, became the archetypal squad to beryllium eliminated from this World Cup.

Brazil’s breakthrough arrived moments earlier the archetypal hydration interruption erstwhile Johny Placide deflected Vinicius Junior’s drive, and the rebound ricocheted disconnected Hannes Delcroix and past Matheus Cunha earlier trickling implicit the line.

There was, however, thing fortuitous astir Cunha’s 2nd strike. After Haiti squandered possession successful its ain half, Brazil needed lone 2 touches done Casemiro and Vinicius to merchandise the Manchester United forward, who unleashed an unstoppable deed into the extortion of the net.

Haiti’s perilously precocious enactment unravelled again earlier the interruption erstwhile Lucas Paqueta laced a perfectly weighted walk into the way of Vinicius, who raced wide earlier slipping his decorativeness beyond a powerless Placide for his 2nd extremity successful arsenic galore games.

The Haitians looked acold much composed aft the break, with Ruben Providence connected the near combining efficaciously with substitute Dominique Simon to springiness the Caribbean broadside sustained spells of possession. They astir recovered a reward successful the 63rd minute, erstwhile Ricardo Ade roseate highest to conscionable a corner, lone for Alisson Becker to nutrient a crisp prevention and claw his header distant from danger.

Brazil started the time with its oldest World Cup lineup since the 1962 final. It ended with 2 teenagers connected the tract – Endrick and Rayan – for the archetypal clip since the 1958 World Cup, erstwhile 18-year-old Jose Altafini and a 17-year-old Pele represented the aboriginal of Brazilian football. The rest, arsenic everyone knows, is history. It remains to beryllium seen whether this procreation tin formed a shadiness arsenic long.

Published - June 20, 2026 08:21 americium IST

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