Month: June 2026

Under a grey South Florida sky at Miami Stadium where David Beckham was questionably drinking red wine (in this humidity?) from a suite, Brazil put on a show that dampened Scotland’s party while clinching a spot in the World Cup knockout rounds. Brazilian flags and the canary yellow-clad fans continuously erupted in cheer as Carlo Ancelotti’s side continued took full control of the evening and won Group C. As for the usually raucous Tartan Army, they saw Scotland sadly struggle to get anything going and cause mistake over mistake. One thing is for sure. Ancelotti is slowly but surely returning the Joga Bonito (play beautifully) personality to Brazil. And that’s a scary thing for anyone else standing in its way. Here are my takeaways: 1. Vinícius Júnior Is Dancing To World Cup Glory The night belonged to the five-time World Cup champion and most importantly, Vinícius Júnior, who is having a tournament to remember. The Real Madrid star scored twice and gave the Scottish backline grief throughout the night, whilst Matheus Cunha sneakily scored his third goal of the competition to surprisingly also be in the mix for the Golden Boot race. Thanks to his two goals, Vini Jr. has now scored in all three matches of the group stage – making him the first Brazilian to accomplish that feat since Rivaldo and Ronaldo in 2002, which is when the Seleção last won the World Cup. In fact, every time this has happened, Brazil has won the World Cup as Romario did in 1994 and Jairzinho in 1970 – where the legendary winger scored in every game. Could Vini Jr. emulate that at this World Cup? It’s obviously a big ask, but right now he has four goals — only one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race for the tournament’s top goalscorer. But what’s more important, the Brazil star is leading by example. And that’s exactly what this team needs. 2. Neymar Jr.’s Cameo Continues Summer Of Stars It was also a night where Brazil welcomed back Neymar Jr., as the 34-year-old entered the pitch with less than 15 minutes to go. In a tournament where veteran icons like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modrić are having their moments in the spotlight, it was nice for Brazilians to welcome their own legendary star once again. After nearly three years, October 2023 to be exact, Neymar Jr. returned to action with Brazil. It has been an arduous time filled with injury-ridden problems that included his ACL and meniscus tear. But once he entered the pitch in the 76th minute to replace Matheus Cunha, the crowd on their feet chanted his name with excitement. This is exactly why Ancelotti brought him back to the squad. To not just perform but to ignite a fire within Brazil. If he can be an impactful player, even in 15–20 minutes of action, then Brazil will feel deeper, stronger and more confident. 3. Scotland Gave Brazil Too Much Respect Scotland now has a waiting game to see if it has made it as a top-eight third-placed team. Having the opening game victory over Haiti helps but the setback against Morocco, and conceding three goals on Tuesday to Brazil, most definitely does not. Don’t get me wrong. Brazil totally deserved its win and there was probably nothing Scotland could have done tonight to change the narrative. But I thought the Scots were too nervous instead of pressing Brazil and making it uncomfortable. In simple terms, Scotland just sat for too long and waited for Brazil to charge as opposed to stopping the momentum in the first place. In this game, whatever happened, Scotland needed to gamble, and I don’t think the team gambled enough. Steve Clarke’s side has three points but also a -3 goal differential, so it has to see whether Scotland will sneak into the round of 32 or if the memorable stateside trip of the Tartan Army finishes earlier than hoped. 4. Bruno Guimarães With A Terrific Performance With the style being provided by the likes of Vinícius Júnior, there needs to be some kudos given to Brazil’s engine in the middle. The Newcastle United man was excellent, as he provided a perfect assist for Vini’s second. Throughout the game, he hovered all over the midfield to begin the team’s sequences and was critical in all the created chances. In the second half, he gave another assist to Matheus Cunha, thanks to a great run inside the box. It was a lovely flick. It was an imposing display. In all, it was a complete performance for Brazil, who now wait for its Round of 32 opponent, which is the runner-up from Group F — either the Netherlands, Japan or Sweden. That’s not an easy situation, especially with the first two mentioned.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Morocco spent a half being outplayed by a team that arrived with nothing to lose, then snapped back to reality. A rotated and rusty Atlas Lions side trailed Haiti twice in Atlanta before quality — and a lively bench — turned it into a 4-2 win. Here are my takeaways from Morocco’s comeback over Haiti: 1. Group C, Sorted: Morocco March On, Haiti Head Home With Brazil seeing off Scotland 3-0 across the bracket, Group C finished as the seedings predicted — just not in the order Morocco wanted. Both Brazil and Morocco closed on seven points, but Brazil’s plus-six goal difference dwarfed Morocco’s plus-three, so the Atlas Lions take second and the slightly bumpier road. As runners-up, they’re set to meet the Group F winner in the Round of 32 — likely the Netherlands or Japan. Regardless of the outcome, the 2022 semifinalists have advanced. For Haiti, the math was settled before kickoff. The defeat locks them into last place with zero points, eliminating them and sending them home. The favorites advance. The underdogs bow out. 2. Ismael Saibari Saved His Best For Every Occasion Some players save their best for the big stage. Ismael Saibari decided every stage was the big one. The PSV Eindhoven striker scored in all three group games — a delicate lob against Brazil, the fastest goal in Morocco’s World Cup history against Scotland, and a cool Achraf Hakimi-assisted finish here — to finish as Morocco’s group-stage top scorer with three. He’s the breakout name, but hardly the only one who shone. Captain Achraf Hakimi was everywhere again, scoring one goal and assisting another from right back. Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz and Stuttgart’s Bilal El Khannouss provided the craft in the final third. And the bench bailed them out: substitutes Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yassine combined for the two goals that finally put Haiti away. Morocco isn’t a one-man team. They’re a deep one, which is far more frightening. 3. The Tactics: Hakimi’s Show, And A Bench That Bites On paper, it was a 4-2-3-1. In practice, it was the Achraf Hakimi show with a double pivot behind it. Morocco controlled 70% of the ball, funneled their best attacks through Hakimi’s overlapping runs on the right, and trusted Sofyan Amrabat and Neil El Aynaoui to shield the back four. When it clicks — as it did against Brazil and Scotland — Mohamed Ouahbi’s side looks like a team that can hurt anyone. They possess significant technical ability across every line in the formation. The caveat: they conceded twice to an already-eliminated Haiti, the kind of switch-off better opponents punish. So what’s the ceiling? These are the 2022 semifinalists, now with arguably more attacking talent and a bench that wins games. Another deep run is firmly on the table — the quarterfinals feel a fair ask — provided the concentration that drifted in Atlanta shows up for the knockouts. 4. Haiti Leave With A Goal For The Ages Haiti reached their first World Cup in 52 years and left without a point: three games, three defeats, bottom of Group C. But don’t confuse the standings for the story. Sébastien Migné’s side led mighty Morocco twice, and the moment that outlives this tournament belonged to Wilson Isidor. With Haiti ahead and swinging, the Sunderland forward collected the ball on the right, shifted onto his stronger foot, and detonated a rocket into the top-left corner — an early goal-of-the-tournament nominee from a team that wasn’t supposed to score at all. The bodies and the quality ran out after the break, as everyone suspected they might. But Haiti found the net for the first time at a World Cup since 1974 and genuinely frightened a semifinalist. Some nights, that’s the victory. For Isidor, that’s a memory that’ll last a lifetime.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

There might not be anything to play for in terms of Group D standings when the USA takes on Türkiye on Thursday – but that doesn’t mean this one is meaningless in terms of reps and lessons. That said, it’s a juggling act for Mauricio Pochettino to keep his guys fresh but not take any unnecessary risks. If I were Poch, I’d be hesitant to play Christian Pulisic in this game. I get the idea of wanting to keep him sharp, but there’s more to lose than there is to gain. These players are already fit, so playing 90 minutes wouldn’t be a concern. Instead, I expect we’ll see a rotated United States team with players starting who will be hopeful of making a positive impact in their first extended action of the tournament. Here’s what I think we’ll see from the USA and Türkiye on Thursday night in Los Angeles. I expect the USA to heavily rotate here. The guys who are one yellow card away from a suspension or carrying minor knocks are the ones who I especially do not expect to play. You may see some of the other players who have been active so far in this tournament start before getting subbed off, before they play the entire 90 minutes. I’d expect to see guys who start but haven’t gotten much action in the tournament play close to the entire game. What I’m not expecting is to see a less competitive United States team. The guys who haven’t gotten many minutes but will play are likely to want it even more than the ones who have been. This is their chance to get a start at the World Cup, and it’s their opportunity to show that they’re capable of stepping up during the knockout stage. That will especially be the case in attack. We’ve seen early goals against Paraguay and Australia, so most of the USA’s minutes have been playing with a lead. If that doesn’t happen again and attacking changes need to be made in the knockout stage, I want to see who can step up. We saw Ricardo Pepi get a start in place of Pulisic against Australia, but who will be the first name(s) off the bench when the USA might need a goal later in the tournament? Will it be Tim Weah or Alex Zendejas? Haji Wright? Brenden Aaronson? We don’t know yet. The one attacking player who has made an impact is Gio Reyna, who scored the fourth goal against Paraguay after coming on in the 82nd minute. What I’m most curious to see with Gio is how he is deployed. I thought he was going to start on the left wing in place of Pulisic against Australia, but Mauricio Pochettino opted for a second striker with Pepi instead. Assuming Gio starts this game, is he on the wing? Is he playing as an “8” in more of a central role in midfield? This will be a big opportunity for Reyna to show why he should be the go-to guy off the bench. I want to see him grind on both ends of the pitch and show why he thinks he should be starting. Türkiye may be the most unlucky team in the World Cup and will feel hard done by entering this game. Of all the teams that are at the bottom of their group, especially the ones that have already been eliminated, the Turks are probably the most talented. Türkiye had 62 shots in its first two games without scoring a goal. Against Australia in the opener, Türkiye faced a side that defended extremely well and happened to get an early goal. After that, the Aussies were able to sit back and defend in a low block that was really well-executed. Then, against Paraguay, it was an even earlier goal that put Türkiye behind. Then, the Turks played against 10 men for 50 minutes but still couldn’t score. When you look at Türkiye’s xGs (expected goals) and total number of shots, you’d be shocked that it lost both matches and didn’t even get a point from either. But, in reality, this team is going home after this game regardless of the result. Conceding early has especially been tough for Türkiye. It makes for a weird game because the Turks have been in control, so there’s initially a sense of confidence that the goal will come. Then, as the game goes on, it gets more and more frustrating. Güler has a great ability to find the final pass or shoot effectively from distance. The surprising thing so far in this tournament is that he has not been efficient with either of those skills. Something has just been a little off. You can tell when Güler gets on the ball, though, that he’s the player trying to make things happen. He gets on the ball, and the rest of the team perks up. The other key attacker for Türkiye is winger Kenan Yildiz, who came on at halftime against Australia and played all 90 minutes against Paraguay. He’s a different type of player from Güler, one who thrives in one-on-one situations.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports