Brazil defeats Haiti at World Cup behind Matheus Cunha goals: Recap, highlights – USA Today

Editor’s note: Follow all of Friday’s World Cup action live!
PHILADELPHIA — Heading into Brazil’s second World Cup game, Carlo Ancelotti had heard the reactions and post‑match analysis after Brazil managed only a draw in its 2026 World Cup opener last Saturday.
His team responded to all that outside noise with quite a statement on Friday. 
Behind a three-goal first half, Brazil picked up an important three points in the World Cup by blanking Haiti 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday. 
Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha ignited the celebration for Seleção with a blistering first‑half brace, scoring twice in just 13 minutes. His opener came in the 23rd minute, pouncing on a rebound from a Vinícius Júnior effort and slotting it calmly into the net. He doubled the lead in the 36th minute, racing onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Júnior and burying a no‑doubt finish into the upper-left corner.
Shortly after Cunha’s two goals, Brazil lost star Raphinha with an apparent injury in the 39th minute. He shook hands with goalkeeper Alisson and Júnior as he rose from the pitch before hobbling off to the sideline under his own power.
Júnior, the Real Madrid forward, would get his second goal of the tournament in the third minute of stoppage time in the first half with a right footed shot from the left of the box. Brazil’s defense proved to be as good as its offense in the first half, as Haiti did not record a single shot on net in the opening act.
With its loss, Haiti, making its first World Cup appearance since 1974, became the first team eliminated from the tournament with an 0-2 record in Group C play. 
Brazil, meanwhile, climbed to the top of Group C after securing all three points, and its three goals could prove crucial. With Brazil and Morocco level on points, Brazil currently holds the edge on goal differential, giving Ancelotti’s side the tiebreak advantage for the top spot in the ground.
USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, scores and highlights of Friday’s World Cup game between Brazil and Haiti. Follow below: 
Brazil rebounds from its underwhelming World Cup opener vs. Morocco with quite a dominant performance against Haiti. Behind two goals from Matheus Cunha in the first half, Brazil picked up the 3-0 win over Haiti to improve to 1-1-0 in Group C play.
Douglas Santos is going to want to get these back. The Brazil defender takes an open shot on net from just near the 18-yard box and his shot goes wide and out of bounds. He then gets called for offside on his next trip down the field after the ball goes into the back of the net.
It remains 3-0 Brazil.
Haiti picks up its second yellow card of the game in the 73rd minute. It’s given to Danley Jean Jacques, who brings Brazil’s Gabriel Martinelli down with a tackle.
Haiti nearly gets on the board in the 63rd minute, but a header inside the box is saved and punched out to the right by Brazil goalkeeper Alisson. Brazil has continued to control possession for much of this game.
A few second later, Brazil made a pair of substitutions, which included:
Vinicius Junior takes an open lane to the goal, but he cannot get a shot off with his right foot as he is pushed to the opposite side of the field. It’s a great job on defense by a Haitian defender, and keeps the score at 3-0 Brazil in the 55th minute.
Haiti, who did not get a single shot on goal in the first half, makes a few substitutions coming out of halftime. Here they are:
We’re underway in the second half with Brazil taking the opening possession.
Vinicius Junior scores his second goal of this World Cup in the 45+3 minute to extend Brazil’s lead to 3-0 going into the halftime break. The Real Madrid winger was played over the top by Lucas Paqueta and was through on goal. He calmly slotted his finish under Haiti goalie Johny Placide, to give Brazil a commanding lead.
It’s been quite a statement made by Brazil in the first half, with the three goals now putting them in front of Morocco in the Group C standings, should Brazil hold the lead and get the win, of course.
Perhaps the only negative of an excellent first half for Brazil is an injury to left wing Raphinha, who was taken off in the 40th minute. The forward who plays for Barcelona appeared to pull up with a leg injury. Coming on to replace him is Rayan, a 19 year old from Bournemouth. Rayan was a revelation in the Premier League, scoring five goals after arriving in the winter transfer window.
The move by Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti to put Matheus Cunha into the starting lineup has paid immediate dividends. Cunha scored for the second time in the first half with an exquisite left-footed finish after receiving a through ball from Vinicius Junior. The move was first initiated by Lucas Paqueta winning the ball at midfield and quickly moving it forward to Vinicius with the Haiti defense unable to track back.
Brazil has hit the front for the first time this World Cup with Matheus Cunha scoring off a rebound from a shot in the box by Vinicius Junior in the 23rd minute. Cunha initially received the ball at the middle before playing out wide to Vinicius, who cut inside for a shot. It was saved by Haiti keeper Johny Placide but the rebound was spilled in front of goal. Cunha and Haiti defender Hannes Delcroix both went for the ball. Delcroix got there first but his clearance went off Cunha into the net. The Manchester United player hit his signature surfing celebration. 
A beautiful ball over the top from Bruno Guimaraes to Raphinha was calmly put in by the Brazil forward who plays for Barcelona. But as the Brazilian fans cheered, offsides was called as Raphinha was a step too early making his run. Score remains 0-0 after 15 minutes.
Vinicius Junior has had a couple of spells on ball but has yet to generate anything against a Haiti defense that has been aggressive early. The midfield issues for Brazil that were apparent against Morocco remain as Lucas Paqueta was taken off the ball under pressure to generate a scoring chance for Haiti.
In one of his first touches, the Brazilian forward was tackled by a Haiti defender and the ball going out for a throw in. Vinicius Junior stayed down a moment before Brazil put the ball in play.
In the immediate aftermath of play, the first yellow card of the game was issued to Haiti’s Carlens Arcus, who got tangled up with the foot of a Brazilian player as the two went for the ball. Haiti fans showed their displeasure with the referee’s call.
It comes in the fourth minute of the game.
We’re underway in the City of Brotherly Love. Brazil opens the first half by controlling the opening touch at kickoff and holding possession!
PHILADELPHIA — Both teams have taken the field for pregame ceremonies, which will include the playing of both teams’ national anthems. Both teams received a nice ovation from their fans as they stepped onto the pitch. We’re just minutes away from the start of Brazil vs. Haiti!
Brazil will go with the same midfield as it had vs. Morocco on Saturday. There is one change up front with Matheus Cunha replacing Igor Thiago at striker, and one change on the backline with fullback Danilo stepping in for Roger Ibañez.
Here is Brazil’s starting lineup vs. Haiti on Friday at the World Cup:
Here’s Haiti’s starting lineup vs Brazil at the World Cup on Friday:
No. Neymar will once again be sidelined for Brazil’s second World Cup Group C match vs. Haiti on Friday due to injury. He continues to work back from a calf injury that he sustained while playing for his club soccer team, Santos FC.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ experts predict Friday’s World Cup game between Brazil and Haiti to play out:
The matchup kicks off at 8:30 PM ET.
The Group C match is being held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Below is a look at how Group C standings looked heading into Friday:
PHILADELPHIA — Ronaldinho, a member of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup championship team, was just shown on the Jumbotron here at Lincoln Financial Field.
PHILADELPHIA — FIFA volunteers and workers have begun to walk out onto the field here in Philadelphia to get the pregame ceremonies set up on the field. We’re just under 15 minutes away from the start of Brazil vs. Haiti in Group C play! – John Leuzzi
PHILADELPHIA — Both teams have taken the pitch here at Lincoln Financial Field for pregame warmups. Seats are starting to fill in more, with the kickoff just under an hour away. – John Leuzzi
PHILADELPHIA — Brazil has arrived at Lincoln Financial Field, and fans in the stands immediately erupt. If that fan reaction was loud and heard in the press box, can only imagine what the reception will be like when Brazil takes the field. – John Leuzzi
In the most recent FIFA world rankings, Brazil is ranked No. 6, while Haiti is No. 85. Haiti is making its first World Cup appearance in over 50 years, with its last one coming in 1974.
PHILADELPHIA — Two hours out from kickoff between Brazil and Haiti, and the energy and scenes are already off the charts.
Brazil fans got the party started five hours before kickoff at Stateside Live outside of Lincoln Financial Field for a watch party of the USMNT vs. Australia game in Seattle. Some Brazil fans even embraced Philadelphia’s sports scene and the city’s boxer, Rocky Balboa, by wearing their handcrafted, Brazil-designed boxing jacket. – John Leuzzi
PHILADELPHIA — Ahead of the first World Cup game in Philadelphia, Ecuador fans decorated the famous Rocky Statue at the Philadelphia Art Museum with an Ecuador jersey.
Little did La Tri fans know, but doing that brings bad luck to their team. Just ask the 2017 Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The day before the playoff game, Vikings fans put scarves on the statue. Their team went on to lose 38-7 and miss out on playing in the Super Bowl.
Brazil is now attempting to reverse the curse and send it to Argentina, as a few Brazil fans put an Argentina jersey on the statue last night after a fan gathering on the museum steps. Pretty good stuff! – John Leuzzi
Below is Brazil’s schedule for Group C play in the World Cup:
Below is Haiti’s schedule for Group C play in the World Cup:
Explore live group standings, stats and the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.
Friday’s Brazil vs. Haiti game is at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
The 48 competing nations are divided into 12 groups of four. Each group will play a round robin style where teams are awarded three points for a win and one point for a draw. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the eight best third-place squads. Tiebreakers in the group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:
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