Brazil Finds Its Samba Rhythm: Defeats Haiti to Take Group Lead

[Anchor]

After a disappointing draw against Morocco in their opening match, Brazil showcased their prowess as a title contender today (June 20) against Haiti. They secured a 3-0 victory and climbed to the top of the group.

Choi Hee Jin reports.

[Reporter]

Brazil, having pressured Haiti from the very beginning, seized the initiative in the 23rd minute.

Following a counterattack, Matheus Cunha tapped in the ball after the goalkeeper parried a shot from Vinícius.

Thirteen minutes later, Vinícius and Cunha combined for another goal.

Cunha received a through pass from Vinícius and found the back of the net with a powerful left-footed shot from a tight angle.

Cunha, who was left out of the starting lineup in the first match but assigned the role of the starting lone striker today, lived up to manager Ancelotti's expectations by scoring two goals.

In stoppage time of the first half, Vinícius added a clincher.

He received a lobbed pass from Lucas Paquetá, created a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper, and finished with a right-footed shot.

Brazil continued to hunt for more goals in the second half, but Gabriel Martinelli's shot hit the crossbar, and a goal by Endrick was ruled offside.

With the 3-0 victory, Brazil moved to 1 win and 1 draw, tying with Morocco, but took the top spot in the group on goal difference.

Star player Neymar, who has missed two consecutive matches due to a calf injury, is expected to be available for the next game.

[Ancelotti / Brazil National Football Team Manager: Neymar will train individually tomorrow and is scheduled to join team training next Monday. He will be able to play in the next match against Scotland.]

Haiti, which returned to the World Cup stage for the first time in 52 years, suffered two losses and became the first team to be eliminated from the group stage in this tournament.

---

In the same group, Morocco defeated Scotland 1-0 to record 1 win and 1 draw.

Ismael Saibari, who also scored against Brazil, led the victory by netting a lightning-fast goal just 1 minute and 10 seconds into the match.

(Video Editing: Park Ki-deok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.