SAO PAULO — For 35 minutes, Brazil looked like a team that forgot its lines. Passes went astray. Movement stalled. Haiti, the tournament’s lowest-ranked side, actually looked the more organized. Then Matheus Cunha did what he does: he made something out of nothing.
The Manchester United striker flicked a stray corner past the Haitian keeper from eight yards, and just like that, the script was back on track. Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti in their World Cup 2026 opener was far from convincing — but nobody remembers ugly wins. They remember the names on the scoresheet.
Cunha the Difference-Maker
Two goals. Two moments of quality in a sea of mediocrity. Cunha’s first was pure instinct — a half-volley from a corner that he redirected with the kind of timing that can’t be coached. His second? A poacher’s finish after Haiti’s defense switched off for half a second. The ball was in the net before anyone could blink.
“Matheus showed why he’s among the best in the world,” Brazil coach Fernando Diniz said in the post-match presser. “He finds space that doesn’t exist.”
Diniz isn’t wrong. But he also knows his team can’t rely on individual brilliance to get through the group stage. Brazil’s midfield was disjointed. Their build-up play was slow. Against a better side — say, Portugal or Argentina — they would have been punished.
Haiti: Brave but Beat
Let’s give credit where it’s due. Haiti played with a plan. They pressed high, kept their shape, and for stretches of the first half, they made Brazil look ordinary. Defensively, they were organized. Offensively, they just lacked the final ball.
“We didn’t come here to make up the numbers,” Haiti coach Laurent Batiste said. “We came to compete. And for 35 minutes, we did.”
That’s the crux of it: they competed, but they couldn’t convert. And once Cunha scored, the game was never really in doubt. Haiti’s heads dropped. Brazil’s tails went up. It’s a cruel sport.
Brazil’s Midfield Muddle
The biggest concern for Diniz? His midfield. Without a true playmaker — Neymar is still recovering — Brazil lacked creativity. Bruno Guimarães was tidy but not incisive. Lucas Paquetá tried to force things. Too often, the ball went sideways instead of forward.
If Brazil are going to win this World Cup, they need more than a goal-scoring striker. They need someone to pull the strings. Right now, that someone is missing.
Raphinha added a third goal late on, a neat finish after a counter-attack. But the scoreline flattered Brazil. Haiti had chances — a header that skimmed the bar, a shot from distance that forced a save. Against a better team, those chances become goals.
The Group Stage Math
Three points. Goal difference of +3. That’s a decent start, but the real tests are coming. Brazil face Ghana next, then a wounded Portugal side that might need a result. If the Seleção play like they did against Haiti, they’ll struggle to top the group.
Diniz knows it. The players know it. The fans know it. But for one night, they can celebrate. Cunha’s brace got them over the line. Now, they need to find a way to make it look easier.
“We didn’t come here to make up the numbers. We came to compete.” — Haiti coach Laurent Batiste
The World Cup is a tournament of fine margins. Brazil just scraped past an underdog. If they don’t tighten up, they won’t be so lucky next time.
