Read 3 minutes20 Jun 2026 08:48 AM IST
After a 3-0 defeat by Brazil on Saturday, Haiti became the first team to officially withdraw From the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Haiti lost their first match against Scotland 1-0 and after the defeat against Brazil they have 0 points from 2 matches. They play their last match against Morocco and even if they pull off an upset, they can reach a maximum of 3 points which is not enough to qualify them as the best third placed team.
In the match, Brazil forward Matheus Cunha rewarded the support of manager Carlo Ancelotti with his first two goals of the World Cup as the five-time champions cruised to a 3-0 win over Haiti.
Vinicius Junior also scored in the first half and was the creator of both of Cunha’s strikes before winger Rafinha was forced off with a leg injury in the 40th minute.
Overall, it was an improved effort for the Selecao to start their tournament as they drew 1-1 against Morocco and the resulting goal difference put Brazil four points clear of the Atlas Lions in Group C.
Earlier on Friday, Haiti became the first team to exit the World Cup after Morocco beat three-pointers Scotland 1-0. Haiti is at the bottom with any score.
Nevertheless, they clearly enjoyed their second appearance in the finals for the first time since 1974 and produced an admirable effort in front of a red-and-blue-clad minority, despite a lineup that suggested little block.
Centre-back Ricardo Ade came closest to scoring for the Caribbean after halftime when his blistering, near-post header from a corner forced Alisson into a reaction save.
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Cunha was one of two changes Ancelotti made, replacing Igor Thiago at centre-forward. Along with the Manchester United man, Brazil’s attack looked more connected than six days ago, albeit against lesser opposition.
In the end, they punished over-excited Haiti from the underdogs after the first 15 minutes.
For Brazil’s first goal after 23 minutes, Vinicius cut inside from the left and fired a shot that keeper Jonny Placide could only parry.
Center back Hannes Delcroix tried to clear the danger, but Cunha pressed on to score his second goal in a competitive international and finally crossed the ball.
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That connection resurfaced in 36 after a counter-attack from the Haitian Revolution.
Vinicius slipped a ball into the path of Cunha’s well-timed diagonal run and as he stumbled, the forward curled a powerful finish into the top corner as Placide swung the wrong way.
It wasn’t clear what led to Rafihna’s slump after the second goal, on a night when one of his early goals was ruled offside and a glaring miss after another move that raised the flag.
Vinicius’ strike came in stoppage time before the break when he ran onto Lucas Paqueta’s ball and headed down past the charging Plaiside.
(with agency input)