The 42 reports from Philadelphia Stadium
Brazil 3
Haiti 0
BEAUTIFUL, BRILLIANT BRAZIL.
Matheus Cunha has them Surfin’ USA in this World Cup and those early choppy waters have been calmed.
For now.
Feeling the heat and the pressure after a drab 1-1 draw with Morocco, Carlo Ancelotti’s side responded in emphatic fashion.
Haiti, the second-lowest ranked side in the tournament, were dispatched with ease and even a team as formidable as this Brazil one will feel relief getting a win on the board.
With Morocco beating Scotland earlier in the day it was important to respond, and with goals.
Top spot in the group remains open. Victory over Scotland in Miami on Wednesday is a necessity and with Morocco facing Haiti the expectation is that it will go down to goal difference.
Brazil boosted theirs by three goals here.
Watching them is pure indulgence.
Seeing Brazil at a World Cup? That is a must. History demands it, any kind of respect for the traditions of the game demands it.
Even if they didn’t quite adhere to that themselves by wearing their changed blue kit when they could easily have left us enchanted that little bit longer by their famous yellow.
The football made up for it, even if they allowed to get themselves somewhat unnecessarily stretched and left open to the odd counter-attack in the second half.
They turned on the style against Haiti and gave everyone what they wanted – most of the 68,329 in attendance savouring this moment of a lifetime. Haiti, a country whose diaspora is spread throughout the United States, also had pockets of supporters dotted around the stadium.
Most converged behind the goal that is shaped like a ship in honour of the navy yard across the nearby motorway. Their presence was dispersed in comparison to the yellow which filled the stands, their screams and yelps and roars of encouragement both deafening and enthralling.
By the end they were dancing together, singing together and laughing together.
Brazil united is a beautiful, joyous thing.
Bebeto’s baby cradling celebration was one of the defining images of the 1994 World Cup.
Thirty-two years later, and back on these shores, Matheus Cunha was surfing the waves of joy with two goals here in Philadelphia. His celebration will be seen around the world and replicated from favelas to council estates.
Ancelotti threw him in centrally in place of Igor Thiago to bring more energy and threat in behind.
Both of his first-half goals showed it was the correct decision.
Your sense of smugness and self-gratification demands your presence to bow at the altar of the Samba Boys.
This feels important because Brazil is important. Because of the moments that they have given the game and the inspiration they have provided those who love it.
Throughout the generations they have pushed boundaries and made a mockery of impossibilities, making it feel as though your own limitations are mere fiction.
A different, better truth can be found deep within. At least with a ball at your feet. Whether it’s Garrincha, Pele, Jairzinho, Zico, Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Neymar Jnr, or now Vinicius Jnr, they are icons to be cherished.
Brazil are the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The Statue of Liberty in New York.
The, er, Spire on O’Connell Street.
They are the football equivalent of the Great Wall of China.
A wonder, mysterious and glorious and the embodiment of your love for the game.
Cunha’s second goal on 36 minutes, coming after he bundled in a rebound 12 minutes earlier, was the perfect case in point.
Lucas Pacqueta won a ball in midfield, setting Vini Jnr away instantly. The Real Madrid man drove forward and when the Haiti defence seemed prepared for him to play a square ball to Raphinha coming in off the right, he delayed just a little bit longer.
They were gazumped. Cunha ran across Vini Jnr and the reverse pass created the chance.
The Manchester United still had so much to do as he strode onto the ball, slowing himself down just enough to set his body and blast a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Jonny Placide into the roof of the net.
His momentum combined with the power in the strike led to him losing balance and as he spun back to his feet the Brazil fans were already dancing in celebration.
He soon joined them. And he was Surfin’ USA.
Of course, the problem for every generation of Brazil players is that they must live up to all of these demands.
They cannot bask in the mystique, they mist take on the responsibility of adding to the lore.
They need to keep the allure alive for all of us who look from afar in wide-eyed wonder, while also satisfying those at home.
It’s an unrelenting pressure; the demands of which Ancelotti spoke about on the eve of the game when he said the pressure has such an influence that it can impact the players emotionally.
Vini Jnr now carries that burden more than anyone else. Neymar may be in the squad, but injury means he has yet to feature.
In first-half injury time Vini Jnr slotted his second goal of the tournament under Placide.
There will be bigger goals and moments to come but then evening Brazil do feels big. Vini Jnr said this week that the national team coach feels more pressure to deliver than the country’s president so he will naturally fret more about a concerning hamstring injury which forced Raphinha off in the first half then some of the nice football on display.
And if there is as much politicking at play, Ancelotti certainly pleased the masses here in Philadelphia by bringing on teen sensation Endrick in the 64th minute.
This was his World Cup debut and he almost capped it with a goal, sliding another shot under the goalkeeper only for the offside flag to rule it out.
Gabriel Martinelli also struck the crossbar from an offside position and maybe not boosting the goal difference will come back to make their knockout round path a bit more difficult.
Facing sure pressure will not be something new, how they embrace it will define this generation.
Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.