Cunha Clicked, Vinicius Finished It and Brazil Are Through in 2026
Three goals, all before half-time, and a Raphinha injury to dampen the mood slightly. That is the Brazil story from Philadelphia on June 20, 2026, and it is mostly a good one.
Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in a 2026 World Cup Group C match that was effectively over at the break. Matheus Cunha scored in the 23rd and 36th minutes, with Vinicius Junior adding the third in first-half stoppage time. Brazil finished with 1.75 xG. Haiti ended on 0.23. The only real question from the second half was whether anyone would add a fourth, and the answer, after several near misses, was no.
Haiti were not good. That needs saying plainly. Their high defensive line was generous to the point of being reckless against three forwards who built their careers on running in behind, and Brazil punished them for it from the moment they settled into the game. Vinicius cut in from the left around the 23rd minute, his curling effort came back off Johny Placide, and Cunha was there at close range to tap into an empty net. Generous defending, simple finish. Brazil 1-0.
The second came from a Haiti mistake in midfield. Vinicius picked up the loose ball, drove forward, and slipped a through ball into Cunha’s run from the left. The Manchester United forward met it first time and drilled it into the top left corner from about 17 yards. No hesitation. That is the finish of someone who has been waiting a long time for a stage like this one.
Vinicius then turned provider into scorer. Lucas Paqueta lifted a pass over the Haiti line and Vinicius timed his run to perfection, slotting past Placide in the third minute of stoppage time to make it 3-0. Three goals. Three different origins. All of them made possible by a Haiti backline that kept inviting Brazil in behind.
Here’s the thing the result is comfortable, and the performance in the first 45 minutes was genuinely sharp. But the Raphinha situation changes the conversation completely. The Barcelona forward came off in the 40th minute with what looked like a hamstring problem, replaced by Bournemouth teenager Rayan. Raphinha had already had a goal ruled out for offside and missed a clear chance before the injury, so his contribution to the scoreline was zero. His contribution to how Haiti had to defend was not. With him on the pitch, Brazil had three genuine threats in behind. With Rayan coming on at 3-0, nobody was too worried. With Scotland next, in a match that could decide the group, the question of whether Raphinha can play is suddenly the most important one in Brazil’s tournament.
Make no mistake, Cunha earned the headlines here. He touched the ball 41 times, created one chance, won four duels, and put both of his shots on target away. For a player who has spent the better part of his career being written off as inconsistent, this was the kind of 45 minutes that changes a reputation.
The second half was largely noise.
Haiti made two substitutions at the break, sent Wilson Isidor on, and showed a little more ambition. Alisson made a strong reaction stop just after the hour to deny Ricardo Ade at close range. That was Haiti’s best moment of the match. After that: three yellow cards across both teams, an Endrick goal ruled offside, Gabriel Martinelli rattling the crossbar with a curling effort, and a substitute called Ederson Silva putting a two-yard tap-in into the side netting in the 91st minute. Haiti end the game as the first side eliminated from the 2026 tournament, finishing with two defeats and four goals conceded. They did not score a World Cup goal for the first time since 1974.
Brazil move top of Group C on four points, level with Morocco on goal difference but ahead on the head-to-head result from their opening draw. Scotland are three points back. The final round of group games pits Brazil against Scotland, with Morocco facing Haiti.
All of that can wait. Right now, the only conversation coming out of Philadelphia is about a hamstring, and whether the player wearing number 11 will be fit to face Scotland.
For all the talk about Brazil’s depth and the strength of their squad, there is no direct replacement for Raphinha’s ability to stretch a defense from the right side and create overloads for Vinicius. Rayan is 18. He is talented. He is not Raphinha at a World Cup, and everyone in the Brazil setup knows it.