Brazil Beats Haiti 3-0 as Raphinha Hamstring Injury
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- Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 before a sold-out crowd of 68,324 in Philadelphia, with Matheus Cunha scoring a first-half brace after Ancelotti inserted him for Igor Thiago.
- Raphinha exited in the 40th minute with a non-contact hamstring injury, replaced by Rayan; Ancelotti said the forward will be assessed on Sunday.
- Vinicius Junior expressed sadness over Raphinha, who fought through injuries at Barcelona this season, and said Brazil's squad 'very much needs him to find their balance.'
- Haiti became the first team eliminated from World Cup knockout contention after the loss, having already fallen to Scotland.
- Neymar will train individually on Saturday and with the full squad Monday, and will be available for Brazil's June 24 group finale against Scotland, per Ancelotti.
- Brazil sits on four points and is nearly assured of a knockout place, but with one group match left against Scotland, the Selecao's attacking rhythm remains unsettled.
Why it matters: Brazil's tournament trajectory now hinges on two unresolved medical questions within 48 hours of kickoff against Scotland: whether Raphinha's hamstring will keep him out and whether Neymar can translate two days of training into meaningful minutes. With only one group match remaining to forge attacking cohesion, the Selecao enters the knockouts as a side whose talent outpaces its synchronization.
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