The 2026 FIFA World Cup is increasingly becoming Vinicius Júnior’s stage.
Thanks to two goals from him — which could have been three — the Brazilian national team is heading into the first knockout round of the FIFA World Cup as the leader of Group C.
Playing at Hard Rock Stadium, Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 this Wednesday (24). They reached seven points, leaving Morocco — also qualified — in second place.
The “surfer” Matheus Cunha also got on the scoresheet. Bruno Guimarães stood out immensely, and Neymar made his World Cup debut.
Brazil will face the runner-up of Group F in the first knockout round of the tournament.
That could be Japan, Sweden, or the Netherlands. The match will be next Monday (29), starting at 2 p.m. (Brasília time).
The final decision will come this Thursday (25), starting at 8 p.m. (Brasília time).
🔥 ABSURD numbers, okay?
Vini scored Brazil’s goal in the 1-1 draw with Morocco.
He was involved in the first against Haiti, assisted the second, and also scored his own.
And he was more than decisive by finding the net twice this Wednesday.
A total of FOUR GOALS, one assist, and another direct involvement.
The No. 7 joined a more than exclusive list for Brazil at World Cups.
Only Jairzinho (1970), Romário (1994), and the duo Rivaldo and Ronaldo (both in 2002) had scored at least one goal in all three group-stage matches of a World Cup.
🔥 His show — and the refereeing took center stage
Brazil’s first goal came in the eighth minute.
McKenna made a mistake playing out from the back under pressure from the alert Rayan, who intercepted it.
And it was up to Vini Jr. to capitalize in the seventh minute.
The second could have come in the 22nd minute.
But referee César Ramos was called to the monitor to review a possible foul by the Brazilian.
And he ended up agreeing with the VAR assessment.
The replays of the play, however, made the decision even more controversial.
The footage showed Vini putting his left foot in front of Hendry, who then caught the No. 7 with his right foot.
Vini would get his second before the end of the first half.
The goal came after a cross from Bruno Guimarães and without VAR “getting involved.”
Only Messi (five goals) has celebrated more than him so far.
Ride the wave, Matheus Cunha! 🏄🏽♂️
After deciding the match against Haiti, the No. 9 celebrated again.
Another great play by Bruno Guimarães ended with his goal (60').
His third in this World Cup.
Neymar is BACK 🔟
Ancelotti rested the booked Casemiro, went with Martinelli, and Scotland started to “believe” more. They even made Alisson work.
The third substitution brought Neymar on in the 76th minute.
Ending his drought with the national team that had lasted since October 17, 2023 — the date he got injured against Uruguay.
He was heavily involved. He tried one-twos, took a free kick, and had a shot on target.
Only Djalma Santos, Pelé, and Cafu played at least one match in four different World Cups for Brazil.
Nilton Santos, Ronaldo, and Thiago Silva were part of four editions, but did not play in 1950, 1994, and 2010, respectively.
Goalkeeper Castilho, meanwhile, started in 1954 and was a backup in 1950, 1958, and 1962.
Ancelotti also “held back” Douglas Santos and gave more minutes to Endrick.
Brazil won, convinced, and heads strongly into the knockout stage.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
