NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
On Friday night in Philadelphia, Brazil earned their first victory of the tournament with a commanding 3-0 victory against Haiti, who put in a heroic performance, holding 0-0 and even threatening Alisson’s goal on multiple occasions in the second half, but unfortunately could not handle the overwhelming power of the five-time World Cup champion.
As a result of the victory and the score, Brazil took over Group C qualification thanks to a better goal difference against Morocco, who won 1-0 against Scotland that same night. For Haiti, their World Cup is effectively over after zero points in their first two matches.
It was a big night for Matheus Cunha, who came into the starting lineup to replace Igor Thiago after his quiet performance against Morocco. The Manchester United star thanked Carlo Ancelotti with a double, scored in the 26th and 36th minutes respectively.
Vinícius Jr. scored the third after a nice ball from Lucas Paquetá and once it happened, the night was over. And, sadly, so was the World Cup in Haiti.
This was also the first time since 1958 that Brazil played a match with two teenagers on the field, when Endrick and Rayan entered the game later. It says a lot about Ancelotti’s faith in his young stars and how in this World Cup, if you are good enough, you will have the opportunity to shine for the national team.
Here are my conclusions:
1. Viní continues to lead by example
(Photo by Marcel Bonte/Socrates/Getty Images)
After some individual brilliance against Morocco, scoring the equalizing goal against the Atlas Lions to earn a point, the Real Madrid star gave us another majestic performance tonight in Philadelphia. His assist to Cunha and his goal in stoppage time in the first half make three goal contributions in the competition so far.
But the game against Haiti was also about his commitment without the ball, as he often dropped back to assist Douglas Santos on the left.
This is exactly what Ancelotti needs from Vinícius Jr., who knows that in this World Cup he needs to inspire his team to transmit confidence to the entire squad. And that’s exactly what he did.
2. Paquetà’s complete performance
(Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)
The Flamengo player was fantastic on Friday, especially in the first half where Brazil did all the damage. He controlled the midfield, won battles and, whenever possible, created opportunities that threatened Haiti’s goal. The highlight was the beautiful assist he had on Vinícius Jr.’s goal. Their chemistry stems from their childhood friendship from their time in the Flamengo academy. In the past, Vinicius has called Paquetá his best friend in football, and you can see why, as his understanding in possession is evident.
If Paquetá can maintain this momentum, then some problems for the Brazilian midfield will be solved.
3. How much will Raphinha’s injury affect Brazil?
(Photo by Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Unfortunately for the Barcelona player, his night ended in the first half when Bournemouth’s Rayan replaced him in the 40th minute. It looked like 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 with the Cherries with five goals and two assists after arriving in January, will look to seize this opportunity and show his manager why he deserves the starting job. Or perhaps it was 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, 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, along with the loss to Scotland, Haiti is unfortunately essentially out of the World Cup due to zero points with no goals scored. But rather than deciphering their autopsy, I want to honor Les Grenadiers as we must remember how they achieved this World Cup berth in the first place. They reached the tournament for the first time since 1974 without playing any of their qualifying matches at home. Due to gang violence that took over Port-au-Prince’s national stadium more than two years ago, the team was unable to play in front of its own fans this season. And yet, he managed to get ahead.
I think that whatever happens here, Haiti deserves massive recognition.
