Brazilvs
HaitiHaiti came to Philadelphia with a plan. By the 36th minute, the plan was in ruins.
Brazil did what the best teams do in these mismatches — they were patient early, then clinical when the openings came. Matheus Cunha was the story of the first half, scoring twice to put the result beyond any real doubt before the break. The 68,324 inside Lincoln Financial Field had very little to worry about after that.
Our pre-match read made Brazil an 86% favorite, and this was about as clean a confirmation of that as you could draw up.
The First Half Said Everything
Haiti's afternoon started badly. Carlens Arcus picked up a yellow card in the 4th minute, and that early caution cast a shadow over everything Haiti tried to do defensively for the rest of the half — you can't exactly throw yourself into challenges when you're already one booking away from a much bigger problem.
Brazil opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Matheus Cunha, a goal that settled any nerves and confirmed the evening's direction. Then, thirteen minutes later, Cunha was at it again — this time with Vinícius Júnior picking up the assist — and the match was done as a contest.
Cabal, that was the moment Haiti's day effectively ended.
Vinícius Júnior then got on the scoresheet himself in first-half stoppage time, finishing off a move assisted by Lucas Paquetá. Three goals, all before the referee blew for the interval. Frantzdy Pierrot collected a yellow card seconds later, right at the death of the half, which told you something about Haiti's mood at that point.
Second Half: Administration
The second half was exactly what you'd expect — Brazil managed the game, Haiti tried to limit the damage, and the crowd watched the clock. Douglas Santos picked up a yellow for Brazil in the 65th minute, Danley Jean Jacques got one for Haiti in the 72nd, and that was about as dramatic as things got.
The numbers reflect how controlled Brazil were:
- Possession: Brazil 56.5%, Haiti 43.5%
- Shots: Brazil 8, Haiti 7
- Shots on target: Brazil 5, Haiti 3
- Pass accuracy: Brazil 90%, Haiti 80%
- Offsides: Brazil 8, Haiti 4
Haiti's seven shots are a slightly flattering number — Brazil's goalkeeper made three saves, but none of them looked like genuine danger. El chispudo de Vinícius Júnior, always finding the edge of a situation, was a constant headache for a Haitian backline that simply didn't have the tools to handle him.
Brazil will feel good about this. Matheus Cunha announced himself on a World Cup stage with a brace, the Vinícius Júnior and Lucas Paquetá combination looked natural, and the clean sheet is a bonus. The question now is whether they can maintain this level against stiffer opposition — because what worked against Haiti will be tested far harder in the rounds ahead.
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