Matheus Cunha scored twice (23', 36') as Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday 20 June, eliminating the tournament debutants and moving to four points in Group C. Vinicius Junior added the third in first-half stoppage time. Neymar, Brazil's all-time top scorer, missed a second group game, the calf strain that kept him out against Morocco , still under management.
Carlo Ancelotti has now run the entire group stage without him, with the knockout rounds set as the return target . For a side built around Neymar's creativity, the practical worry was whether the attack would function in his absence. Two goals from Cunha and a typically direct finish from Vinicius answered it inside 45 minutes.
Haiti, playing their first World Cup, leave with three defeats. Brazil go through to a Group C decider against Scotland on Wednesday 24 June, where a result confirms top spot. The squad now has its system; the recovery of its captain is the remaining variable for a phase where the margin for error closes.
