Brazil relieves pressure with dominant Haiti win and brings hope to World Cup run
· Yahoo Sports
PHILADELPHIA — That’s more like it from Brazil.
After a disappointing start to its World Cup campaign, the Seleção looked more like a team capable of a deep run this summer with its dominating 3-0 defeat of Haiti on Friday, June 19 at Lincoln Financial Field that could have been worse except for two goals ruled out for offside.
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“This was a full match" Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "We had many opportunities of scoring more goals but all in all a good match.”
The comfortable win put Brazil atop Group C with one match left in group play and, more importantly, damped down some pressure on the team that following the team’s lackluster 1-1 draw against Morocco six days ago.
That pressure is the harsh new reality for Brazil, which has won the World Cup a record five times and has a following that lives and breathes soccer and has expectations.
It no longer is in the familiar role as top favorite in the tournament.
While still blessed with elite talent, Brazil hasn’t reached a final since its last victory in 2002 and muddled qualifying with a fifth-place finish among the 10 South American teams in the group.
The arrival of Ancelotti at the end of that qualifying campaign last summer was thought to be the impetus to push the group forward. The longtime Real Madrid coach was known for his man management skills and ability to bring together top players, especially in the UEFA Champions League, which he won five times.
But the results since his hiring have been up and down, dimming the outlook for a country that typically is feared by the rest of the world. Then came the Morocco match that saw the semifinalist from the last World Cup at times dominate the Brazilians.
Following the result, Ancelotti didn’t adjust the midfield three of Casemiro, Bruno Guirmares and Lucas Paqueta that at times got overwhelmed at times in the opener. He opted instead for a tweak to forward line with Matheus Cunha replacing Igor Thiago at striker.
The move worked perfectly. The Manchester United forward gave the attack more fluidity. Thiago, a Brentford striker who scored 22 goals in the Premier League, plays a more traditional role in the box. Cunha was able to provide a partner that complemented star Vinicius Junior.
With the Brazil midfield consistently dispossessing Haiti and creating transition opportunities, Cunha and Vinicius Junior combined on the first two goals. Cunha finished on a deflection off a rebound from a Vinicius shot for the first tally in the 23rd minute and then took a through ball from his teammate and belted a left-footed shot near post in the upper corner in the 36th minute.
"It's really rewarding," said Cunha, who is playing in his first World Cup. "We work so hard in pursuit of so many things, and goals are definitely one of the main focuses. So being able to score goals (at the World Cup) and help the team, I think that’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of."
Vinicius would complete the scoring in the third minute of stoppage in the first half on his own through ball received from Paqueta.
The rest of the game played out comfortably with Haiti unable to threaten. The only negative was a first-half injury that saw right winger Raphinha subbed off in the 40th minute.
Will the performance silence the doubters? No. Haiti is the lowest-ranked team in Group C and likely is the weakest opponent Brazil will face at the World Cup. The win, however, puts the Seleção ahead of Morocco by two on goal differential in Group C.
Should Brazil defeat Scotland by a comfortable margin on Wednesday, June 24, it is likely to win the group and start the knockout round against the second-place team from Group F that includes the Netherlands, Sweden and Japan. Finishing second would put Brazil against the Group F winner.
“We don’t think about the knockout rounds,” Ancelotti said. “We think about playing and improving to try to get first place in the group.”
Once those knockout rounds start, we’ll get a better picture of what this Brazil is capable of doing. Ancelotti believes his team is capable of competing with favorites Spain, France and others.
“Every match is a hard-fought match,” Ancelotti said. “Of course, France is harder than Haiti. But we believe we can beat any team and that includes France.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brazil rebound against Haiti relieves World Cup pressure, brings hope