A Matheus Cunha brace helped Brazil beat Haiti 3-0 in a World Cup match in Philadelphia on Friday, June 19, as the Selecao got a much-needed win to boost their chances of reaching the knockout stages.
The Manchester United forward started the match as the centre-forward in place of Igor Thiago, who had started against Morocco, and made his presence felt.
The Matheus Cunha brace means that Brazil are almost certain to qualify from their group, having earned four points in two matches. The Selecao will play in their final match against Scotland, and only a win in that is likely to earn them the top spot in Group C.
Matheus Cunha Brace: The Seleção’s Number Nine
Cunha can play as the left-winger as well as the number nine, as he has played in both positions for his club, Manchester United, this season, scoring 10 goals in 35 matches.
However, with Benjamin Sesko finding form in the second half of the season for United, Cunha has primarily played as the left-winger for the Red Devils.
Brazil’s number nine has been playing in England for four seasons now and has scored 43 goals in 127 matches during that time period for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United, respectively.
Before that, he played in La Liga and scored only seven goals in 54 matches for Atletico Madrid.
Cunha signed for Wolves in 2022 and has evolved a lot as a player in the last four seasons. At the age of 27 and supposedly in his prime as a footballer at the moment, the Matheus Cunha brace for Brazil against Haiti pointed out that he can now be relied on to play as number nine for his team.
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Can Matheus Cunha Become A World-Class Number Nine For Brazil?
Brazil have not had a genuine world-class number nine since Luis Fabiano, who retired in 2013 from international football.
The former Sao Paulo and Sevilla striker scored 28 goals in 45 matches for Brazil, but since then, the Selecao has struggled to find a top-class number nine.
Richarlison has played as a centre-forward since, but has only managed 20 goals in his 54 international appearances, and Gabriel Jesus, another forward who has tried to lead the line for the Selecao, has only 19 goals in 64 matches.
Cunha’s goal-scoring record has not been anything notable since he made his debut for his country.
After the Matheus Cunha brace for his country against Haiti, he has three goals in 24 international matches, and before the match, he scored a solitary goal for his country in 23 matches.
However, all of that can change in the future, and now that Cunha plays for a top club in England and has made his mark in top-flight football in Europe, he can start to shoulder the responsibility of being the number nine for his country.
Most of Cunha’s appearances for his country in the initial period were as a substitute, but that could change very soon. Should the Manchester United player keep performing well at the World Cup, he might get more opportunities to excel for his country.
Thus, the Matheus Cunha brace for Brazil against Haiti could be the beginning of something good, and only one can certainly hope that the Matheus Cunha brace will earn him a spot in the starting XI from now on for the Selecao.
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