Brazil advances as leader of Group C
Vinícius Junior scored two goals and Matheus Cunha one more as Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 on Wednesday, securing first place in Group C at the World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti’s team is seeking its first world title since 2002.
Real Madrid star Vinícius opened the scoring in the 7th minute after taking advantage of a Scottish defensive error. Before the break, he headed into an empty goal to make it 2-0. With this double, he has four goals in the group stage, equaling Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. Lionel Messi leads the table with five.
Ancelotti highlighted the team’s progress after the 1-1 draw against Morocco in the debut.
“We are working to play the best we can. The goal is not to play well, but to win. If we win the World Cup, we play well. If not, we play badly.”
The return of Neymar
Neymar came on in the 76th minute as a substitute, recovered from a right calf injury. The crowd at Hard Rock Stadium chanted his name as he warmed up. The 34-year-old forward is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals in 130 games.
“He deserved the opportunity. He did well, although he played few minutes,” Ancelotti said.
Brazil advances to the round of 16 for the fifteenth consecutive time. Morocco also qualified as second, after beating Haiti 4-2.
Scotland, which has not participated in a World Cup since 1998, has not made it past the group stage in nine attempts. Defender Nathan Patterson commented:
“We knew they have a first-class squad. They generate great threats. We gave them easy goals.”




