Brazil Player Ratings vs. Haiti: Seleção Back On Top With Dominant Win

AllScores

It was a rather unspectacular affair for Brazil on Fright night, easily dismantling Haiti 3–0 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in its second World Cup outing, to take back the reins of Group C and send Haiti packing, as the first team eliminated from the tournament.

Matheus Cunha opened the night’s scoring in the 23rd minute, rebounding a line-drive from Vinicius Junior that reverberated off the fingertips of Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide. Cunha quickly decided he liked the taste of his first-ever World Cup goal and added another one just 13 minutes later. Once again, the Manchester United star combined with his Real Madrid counterpart, who slipped him a diagonal ball through Haiti’s defensive line. Cunha then fired it with his left foot into the top of the net.

It was only a matter of time before the dancing Vini Jr scored for himself, adding Brazil’s third just before the half. He anticipated a long ball from midfielder Lucas Paquetá before barreling towards the goal frame and skidding the ball into the righthand corner.

Brazil now turns its attention to the group stage finale, a bout against Scotland on Wednesday, seeking to tie things up with a pretty bow and secure first in Group C.

The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Brazil is back on top. / Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Brazil came into Friday off an utterly underwhelming performance against Morocco last week, settling for a 1–1 draw after a sluggish start that saw the Africa Cup of Nations champions dominate position and begin a barrage of shots against the South Americans, momentum that lasted for the better part of 30 minutes.

Although Brazil slowly crawled its way back and even attempted a resurgence in the second half, it was not enough to walk away with three points or leave fans feeling anything other than disappointment. That sentiment was quickly compounded by the news that Neymar Jr., who is more of the nation’s spiritual leader rather than a talisman, would have to miss the outing against Haiti, still battling an injury that has kept him sidelined for the past month. Neymar wouldn’t be even be rostered with the team, left at the training base as it traveled to Philadelphia.

Needless to say, Brazil desperately needed a vibe change, and the dominant win against Haiti secured that. Sure, Haiti hasn’t appeared in the World Cup since 1974 and was never expected to even hold a candle to the talent of the Seleção. Nevertheless, the South American powerhouse did everything expected of a top tournament contender against a minnow like Haiti. Brazil was in the driver’s seat from the kickoff, even if it did allow Haiti to have some fun, putting together a handful of offensive sequences in Brazil’s box, especially late in the game.

Friday’s affair should prove to be exactly the confidence boost the squad needs to see out the remainder of Group C and secure the top spot.

Brazil Player Ratings vs. Haiti (4-1-2-3)

Matheus Cunha scored a brace on Friday. / Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

Ratings Provided by FotMob

GK: Alisson —8.1 : Wasn’t really tested on the night.

RB: Danilo —7.1 : Usurped the starting spot from Roger Ibañez, who started against Morocco, and gave a solid performance.

CB: Marquinhos —7.4 : Gave Haiti too much respect and space in the box at times, allowing the team to generate creativity and dangerous movements, even if they didn’t result in shots on target.

CB: Gabriel —7.4 : Brought a sense of calm to the backline and forced Brazil to be more patient on the ball.

LB: Douglas Santos —7.1 : Haiti targeted his side, with Casimir able to exploit him on a handful of occasions.

CM: Casemiro —7.7: Had a few key tackles from the holding midfield position but was still largely anonymous.

CM: Bruno Guimarães —7.5 : Had some savvy sequences with Danilo on the right flank.

CM: Lucas Paquetá —8.1 : Much more anticipatory and dynamic in the midfield. Much better outing for the Flamengo star, especially on defense with nine recoveries.

RW: Raphinha —6.0 : Danced in the spaces behind Haiti’s defense, before making an early exit.

ST: Matheus Cunha —8.9 : Surfed past Haiti. (No, literally. He mimed surfing in both of his goal celebrations.)

LW: Vinicius Junior —8.5 : Orchestrated both of Cunha’s goals beautifully, before getting on the scoreboard himself with ease.

SUB: Rayan (40’ for Raphinha) —6.4 : Put Haiti under pressure as soon as he took the pitch, but struggled to get involved in the play.

SUB: Endrick (64’ for Cunha) —6.1 : The fans went wild when the youngster substituted onto the pitch. Found the back of the net in the 78th minute before called offside.

SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (64’ for Paquetá) —6.4: Held down the midfield.

SUB: Éderson (81’ for Guimarães) —N/A : Had a chance on frame just seconds after taking the pitch

SUB: Danilo (81’ for Vini Jr) —N/A : Saw out the remainder of the game.

_Subs not used:_Ederson (GK), Weverton (GK), Alex Sandro, Bremer, Léo Pereira, Roger Ibañez, Fahinho Igor Thiago, Luiz Henrique.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Vinicius Jr powered Brazil to victory on Friday. / Mauro PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images

Raphinha was breaking the ice—or rather Haiti’s lines. It appeared just a matter of minutes before he found the back of the net himself and firmly rectified his lack of brilliance against Morocco. Looking devastated, though, he was substituted off the pitch in the 40th minute due to injury.
Matheus Cunha proved manager Carlo Ancelotti right for including him in the starting lineup over Igor Thiago, who failed to produced anything in last week’s outing against Morocco, merely a spectator across his 60 minutes on the pitch. Cunha needed less than 25 minutes to make something happen, scoring his first-ever World Cup goal, and then added another less than 15 minutes later, bringing his total international goals tally to three. The Manchester United star may lead the line throughout the rest of the tournament.
Vinícius Jr is the Brazilian star of the summer, notching his second World Cup goal in as many games and his fifth in the last 12 international appearances. He is blossoming under Ancelotti, who was his long-time manager at Real Madrid.

The Numbers That Explain Brazil’s Dominant Win

Brazil commanded the match but was too lax in letting Haiti put together some sequences of its own and get into the final third, especially late in the game. The Seleção only held 56% of the game’s possession despite the scoreline’s lopsidedness. Haiti also had 17 touches in Brazil’s box compared toBrazil’s 24.
The Seleção were clinical in front of the net, scoring three goals despite taking just 8 total shots for a 1.50 xG.