Matheus Cunha brace sends Brazil top of Group C with 3-0 win over Haiti

Matheus Cunha scored twice and Vinícius Júnior added a third before half time as Brazil eased to a 3-0 win over Haiti in Philadelphia. Carlo Ancelotti's side go top of Group C.

Brazil answered their opening stumble with a statement, brushing Haiti aside 3-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to move top of Group C. Matheus Cunha scored twice inside the first half and Vinícius Júnior added a third on the stroke of the interval, and the game was over as a contest by the time the teams went in.

The breakthrough came on 23 minutes. Cunha finished off a flowing move with the composure that earned him a 62.5 million pound move to Manchester United last year. It was his first World Cup goal, and he did not have to wait long for a second.

On 36 minutes he struck again, arriving in the box to bundle home and double the lead. Two goals in thirteen minutes from a forward who spent last season among the Premier League's most watchable attackers, and any thoughts of a Haitian upset drained away.

Vinícius Júnior put the result beyond doubt in first-half stoppage time. The Real Madrid winger, who rescued a point against Morocco in Brazil's opener, drifted in from the left and finished for 3-0. The goal took him to two for the tournament and handed Carlo Ancelotti's side a half-time lead they never looked like surrendering.

From there Brazil managed the night on their own terms. Bruno Guimarães ran the midfield with the authority Newcastle fans see every week, and Raphinha kept the Haitian back line stretched from the right. The second half became an exercise in keeping the ball, protecting the clean sheet and saving legs for the tougher tests to come.

Haiti competed without ever truly threatening. Frantzdy Pierrot battled away up front with little support, and goalkeeper Johny Placide made the saves that kept the scoreline down. After a narrow opening loss to Scotland, this was a harsher lesson, and the Caribbean side now have a mountain to climb in their final group game.

The win lifts Brazil to the top of Group C on four points with a goal difference of plus three. After the frustrating draw with Morocco, Ancelotti will have enjoyed a far calmer evening, and the five-time champions look like a side settling into the tournament. Our South America round-one verdict had flagged the talent in this squad, and here it came to the surface.

For Kenyan fans, Brazil remain box office. The Seleção shirts fill every estate on a match night, and a Cunha brace topped off by a Vinícius strike is exactly the kind of show the neutrals stay up for. Wakenya wengi ni mashabiki wa Brazil, na leo walipata sababu ya kufurahi: many Kenyans back Brazil, and tonight they had a reason to celebrate.