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For Brazil, this was a night to remember - and perhaps the first real sign of life after months of uncertainty. Following a long stretch of beta-testing, underwhelming performances, and false starts, the Selecao finally found something resembling World Cup swagger. They made history in the process, too, moving back ahead of Germany as the highest-scoring nation in World Cup history. The signs came early. In the 12th minute, Bruno Guimaraes slipped in Raphinha, who lashed home what would have been a lovely opener, only for the offside flag to cut the celebration short.
It came 10 minutes later - and was far less visually appealing. Vinicius' shot was parried by the keeper. Hannes Delcroix attempted to clear, but his slide found the leg of Cunha, who bundled the ball over the line. Cunha's second was a wonderfully worked thing. Vinicius found Cunha, who ran off the shoulder of the last defender and fired home.
"We will put Vinicius more to the inside. Rayan was playing on the outside, which he did very well. Vinicius is dangerous... adept in the center of the field... he can change his position and the others can adjust," Ancelotti said.
There was time for one more before the half. Vinicius grabbed it. Lucas Paqueta lifted a ball into a concerningly large patch of space. Vinicius scampered into it and tucked into the bottom corner. The only real worry was a presumptive hamstring injury sustained by Raphinha, which will certainly be a major concern for Ancelotti.
"We need to assess Raphinha's situation. We will see tomorrow. For now, we don't know what happened," Ancelotti said.
The second half didn't quite deliver on drama. Brazil rotated heavily, introducing Endrick and Gabriel Martinelli - the former receiving a rousing ovation from the Brazil-heavy crowd. He thought he had a goal to his name, but saw it ruled off due to offside after a clever finish.
Haiti, for their part, never truly buckled. They haven't been at a World Cup since 1974, but didn't look like a team unfamiliar with the biggest of stages. Brazil, in fairness, just had more quality.
"They came close compared to the first half. We also had opportunities on counter-attacks. We could have played better with more intensity, yes, but on the other hand, you have to think about other matches at the World Cup, too," Ancelotti said.
For them, this could really be the start of something.
"It was what I expected from this match. Fewer mistakes, more effectiveness at forward and more control at the back. This was a good match, and of course, we have to improve," Ancelotti said.
GOAL rates Brazil's players from Philadelphia Stadium...
