Cunha scores twice for Brazil as his tearful mother watches on in Philadelphia

Matheus Cunha scored twice as Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 in Philadelphia to move top of World Cup Group C, with the Manchester United forward’s mother reduced to tears of joy watching from the stands.

Cunha, 27, had entered Brazil’s opening match against Morocco as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 draw, but did enough to earn a starting berth under Carlo Ancelotti for the second group game in the early hours of Saturday morning.

He needed just 23 minutes to open his account, latching onto a rebound from a Vinicius Jr effort and finishing from close range. Twelve minutes later he doubled his tally, converting a slick through ball from Vini Jr by driving left-footed into the near top corner past goalkeeper Johny Placide.

The moment proved overwhelming for his mother, who was filmed inside the stadium with her hands on her head, tears streaming down her face as a fellow supporter comforted her. The clip then cuts to Cunha on the pitch, beaming as he turns toward the stands and pumps his fist.

Vinicius Jr added a third on the stroke of half-time to seal the result, sending Brazil through to the knockout stages regardless of their outcome against Scotland on Wednesday, 24 June.

Several other Manchester United players have also made their mark at the tournament. Casemiro, who is set to leave the club this summer, played the full 90 minutes plus additional time in the same 3-0 win over Haiti. Noussair Mazraoui helped Morocco keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory over Scotland, while Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are both on duty with Portugal, though Dalot is yet to feature for his nation at this stage of the competition.