Philadelphia was a sea of yellow. Fake trophies waved in the stands. Ronaldinho grinned from the luxury suites. On paper, a 3-0 cruise over Haiti looks like the old magic is back. Don’t buy the hype.
Matheus Cunha bagged a brace and Vinicius Jr added a third before the halftime whistle even blew. Job done, right? Wrong. The second half was an absolute snooze fest. Brazil fell off a cliff. They failed to register a single shot on target after the break. Meanwhile, Haiti—ranked more than 80 spots below them and now officially booked on the first flight home—actually outshot the South American giants seven to two in the second period. It was lazy, uninspired football.
This is the World Cup. While France and Argentina are busy looking like actual contenders, Brazil is sleepwalking. They started this campaign with a miserable 1-1 draw against Morocco in New Jersey. Sure, they have four points and will probably slide into the round of 32. But the spark is missing. They managed just eight shots all game. That is a historically low output for a team scoring three goals.
Carlo Ancelotti, hired in May 2025 to end a decades-long trophy drought, tried to spin gold from dross. “All in all, it was a good match,” the Italian insisted during his post-match press conference. He praised the first-half efficiency. He shrugged off the second-half collapse. When asked if Cunha would keep his starting spot against Scotland in Miami, Ancelotti played his cards close to his chest. He wants tactical flexibility, not a fixed identity. Translation: he is still guessing.
Then there is the Neymar circus. The 34-year-old hasn’t kicked a ball for his country since October 2023. He didn’t even bother traveling to Philly, nursing a bad calf. Yet, Ancelotti claims the aging superstar will be ready for Scotland. Why is he even in the squad? Some pundits think he shouldn’t be. Neymar slapped a teenage teammate back in May and has looked like a passenger for months. But Ancelotti is a man-management specialist. If anyone can coax one last decent shift out of the diva, it is him.
History was made, technically. Brazil has now scored more World Cup goals than Germany—241 to 239. But the milestone came at a cost. Raphinha, their top scorer in qualifying, limped off injured in the first half. And teenage savior Endrick? The 19-year-old got his debut, had a goal ruled out, and touched the ball exactly eight times as the team faded around him.
Scotland is next. They will not lie down. If the real Brazil does not stand up soon, this American adventure will end in familiar heartbreak.
