Vinícius Júnior drives Brazil past Scotland to seal Group C

Brazil defeated Scotland 3-0 and secured first place in Group C. Vinícius Júnior led the performance with two goals, while Matheus Cunha added the third after halftime.

Vinícius opened the scoring in the seventh minute after Scotland lost control under pressure near their own goal. He later had a finish ruled out by VAR, but still doubled Brazil’s lead in first-half stoppage time with a header from a Bruno Guimarães delivery.

Cunha made it 3-0 in the 60th minute, and Neymar entered in the 76th for his first Brazil appearance since 2023. The result continued Brazil’s recovery after an opening draw with Morocco, following back-to-back shutout wins over Haiti and Scotland.

For Scotland, the defeat leaves qualification out of their hands. They finished with a minus-3 goal difference and must wait on other results to see whether they can advance among the best third-placed teams.

The wider story for Brazil is Vinícius’ growing influence under Carlo Ancelotti. The forward has now scored in all three group games, giving Brazil a sharper attacking identity as they move into the round of 32 in Houston against the Group F runners-up.