Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Jun 19 (EFE).-
Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 on Friday, making it the first team to be eliminated from the World Cup, with two goals by Matheus Cunha and one from Vinicius Junior.
Cunha – in place of Igor Thiago – was one of the wise changes made by Carlo Ancelotti from the 1-1 draw in the opener against Morocco that left such a bad taste in the mouth.
Haiti started with a five-man defense to check the talented Brazilian strikers, a strategy outlined by head coach Sebastien Migne.
However, this strategy did not stop Brazil as Vinicius Junior and Raphinha – who had a goal disallowed in the 11th minute for offside – from making inroads into the packed Haitian defense.
In the 23rd minute, Vinícius broke into the box and curled in a shot that was blocked by Haitian keeper Johny Placide, but as the ball rebounded Cunha sent it over the line to mark the first goal for the Canarinhos.
His goal eased the pressure on Brazil following the draw in the previous match. The Manchester United striker scored again in the 36th minute, assisted by Vinicius. Cunha spliced the ball powerfully at an angle impossible for the goalkeeper, taking the South American side 2-0.
Haiti’s tactical approach began to crumble and it ended up receiving its fatal blow at stoppage time, when Vinicius – protagonist in all the previous goals – fired in his second goal from as many matches in the tournament.
At half time the Selecao had an unassailable 3-0 lead without hardly having to break a sweat.
The second half passed without any change in the scoreline, although Brazil did get chances to increase the gap.
The Haitians, staring at World Cup exit, relentlessly searched for a goal that would have tasted like victory to their fans but to no avail.
Despite the win, the game in Philadelphia leaves bad news for Brazil as Raphinha was substituted in the first half due to an apparent leg injury.
With this result, Brazil leads Pool C with four points, the same as Morocco, while Scotland is third with three and Haiti remains at the bottom after two defeats.
The top three positions of the group will be decided on Wednesday, when Brazil-Scotland and Morocco-Haiti matches are scheduled. EFE
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