Matheus Cunha's double in the first half helped Brazil breeze past Haiti 3-0 in their Group C encounter.&nbsp;
Cunha's first-half double against Haiti marked the 10th time a Brazilian footballer has registered two or more goals before halftime in a single <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/2026-fifa-world-cup-decoding-the-colourful-jerseys-and-how-indias-blues-could-look-on-the-big-stage-23633022" rel="nofollow">FIFA World Cup</a> fixture, a record unmatched by any other country.
The last Brazilian player to accomplish this milestone before Cunha was Neymar, who did so against Cameroon during the 2014 tournament.
Brazil ignited their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a dominant 3-0 triumph over Haiti in Philadelphia. The comfortable win takes the South American giants to the top of Group C.
Following a frustrating <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/fifa-world-cup-2026-vinicius-junior-turns-out-to-be-saviour-for-brazil-in-clash-against-morocco-23635184" rel="nofollow">1-1 draw against Morocco</a> in their tournament opener, Carlo Ancelotti&rsquo;s squad took the pitch under intense scrutiny to produce a dominant display. On the other hand, Haiti approached the fixture backed by a resilient, fighting performance against Scotland despite ultimately losing that match.
Brazil made their offensive motivations clear right from the opening whistle and believed they had broken the deadlock early on when Raphinha converted a sharp through ball from Bruno Guimaraes. However, an offside decision quickly halted the celebrations. The opening goal eventually materialised midway through the first half.
A fierce strike from <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/sports/football/article/vini-jr-shines-as-real-madrid-knock-out-manchester-city-23621511" rel="nofollow">star striker Vinicius Junior</a> was blocked by Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide, but Matheus Cunha anticipated the rebound perfectly, poking the loose ball past the goal line despite a frantic scramble from the opposing defenders.
Cunha extended Brazil's lead shortly after, capping off an excellent individual sequence with a decisive finish. The forward raced onto a pass from Vinicius before hitting his shot into the top corner at the near post, leaving the goalkeeper completely helpless.
The three points lift Brazil to four points after two group fixtures, placing them level with Morocco but claiming the top spot via a superior goal difference. The result leaves them comfortably positioned to punch their ticket to the Round of 32.
<h2>Brazil in pole position to finish top of the group</h2>
Brazil will now prepare to face Scotland in their concluding group-stage encounter, while Haiti faces mathematical elimination from the tournament despite showing visible improvement in the second half.
Brazil are currently top of the group, level on points with Morocco.
(With ANI inputs)

Matheus Cunha hits a historic first-half brace as Brazil beats Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia to move to the top of World Cup Group C

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Matheus Cunha hits a historic first-half brace as Brazil beats Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia to move to the top of World Cup Group C. Brazil will be the favourites to finish the group as table toppers and will face Scotland next

FIFA World Cup 2026: Matheus Cunha double fires Brazil past Haiti

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