Brazil back to their best

Darwin, 25 June : With Neymar making his long-awaited return and Vinicius Junior producing another dazzling display, the five-time world champions beat Scotland 3-0 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to head into the World Cup knockout stage with renewed confidence and momentum.

The spotlight before kickoff was firmly on Neymar, who was named among the substitutes after more than two years away from the national team.

Photographers crowded around the bench and Brazilian fans waited eagerly for his return. But while Neymar’s appearance in the 75th minute triggered huge celebrations inside the stadium, the night ultimately belonged to Vinicius.

The Real Madrid forward was once again Brazil’s standout performer, scoring twice and tormenting Scotland throughout the match with his pace, movement and relentless attacking threat.

He has now been named player of the match in all three of Brazil’s group-stage games and has scored four goals in the tournament, leaving him just one behind Golden Boot leader. Had one of his efforts not been ruled out, he might have walked away with a hat-trick and five goals to his name.

Brazil took control almost immediately. In the sixth minute, teenage winger Rayan won possession after a mistake by Scotland and the ball fell kindly for Vinicius, who rounded goalkeeper Angus Gunn and finished into an empty net to give the South Americans an early lead.

Rayan, making his first World Cup start, was one of Brazil’s brightest performers on the right flank. The 19-year-old offered energy, direct running and maturity beyond his years, repeatedly stretching the Scottish defence and linking up effectively with Vinicius and Matheus Cunha. His display earned praise from Brazil coach after the match.

“Rayan was excellent in both attack and defence,” Ancelotti said. “He is still very young, but he has great maturity. He works hard, he has quality, and honestly, no one knows where his limit is.”

Brazil doubled their lead deep into first-half stoppage time. Bruno Guimaraes delivered a fine cross toward the far post and Vinicius met it with a rare header to make it 2-0. It was not the type of goal usually associated with the winger, but it underlined both his confidence and his growing influence in this Brazil side.

Vinicius later revealed that the goal had come after a challenge from Ancelotti.

“I told the coach I would score with a header,” he said. “He told me it was almost impossible and that if I did it, he would give me a gift. Now I’m waiting for that gift.”

Brazil’s third goal arrived in the 59th minute and again involved Guimaraes. After receiving a pass from Casemiro, the midfielder showed composure to pick out Cunha instead of going for goal himself, and the forward finished neatly to put the game beyond Scotland.

It was a much-improved display from Brazil compared to their opening two matches, not only in the scoreline but also in their overall structure and fluidity.

Ancelotti’s tactical ideas appeared to click at last, with Vinicius and Rayan stretching play from both wings and Cunha dropping into deeper areas as a false nine. Brazil pressed high, moved the ball with more confidence and looked far more cohesive than they had earlier in the tournament.

Scotland, meanwhile, struggled to impose themselves for long periods. Their first-half plan of sitting back and waiting for counter-attacking opportunities never truly worked, as Brazil’s aggressive pressing and quick transitions kept them pinned inside their own half.

When Scotland finally began to push forward more aggressively in the second half, Brazil goalkeeper Alisson stood firm with a series of confident saves to preserve the clean sheet.

The loudest roar of the night came in the 75th minute when Neymar finally stepped onto the pitch, ending a wait of 981 days to wear the Brazil shirt again. The crowd in Miami rose to welcome back the No. 10, whose return added another emotional layer to an already memorable night for Brazil.

Neymar did not get on the scoresheet, but he showed flashes of quality and nearly created a late goal for Vinicius. More importantly, his comeback offered a glimpse of a potentially dangerous partnership with a Vinicius already in sparkling form.

After the uncertainty, tactical confusion and pressure of their first two matches, Brazil now appear to have found their rhythm at just the right time. Vinicius and Cunha are giving the attack a cutting edge, Guimaraes and Casemiro are settling in midfield, and the defence looks increasingly secure with Alisson behind it.

“We are playing as a team now, and that is the most important thing,” Ancelotti said. “We are not perfect and there is still room for improvement. But I’m happy because the team has improved a lot. We are much more organised and much more solid now. In the knockout stage, that will be very important.”

Brazil have shown they are beginning to resemble the team many expected to see from the start of the tournament. With Neymar back, Vinicius in superb form and the team growing in confidence under Ancelotti, the road to the knockout rounds suddenly looks far more promising for the Selecao.