Vinicius Junior is putting together a World Cup campaign that’s starting to look historic. The Brazilian winger scored twice in a 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday night at Hard Rock Stadium, giving his team a perfect 3-0 run through Group C and a spot in the knockout round as the group winner.
Matheus Cunha added a goal. Bruno Guimarães ran the midfield like he owned it. And Neymar finally got on the pitch for his first World Cup minutes in what’s become a running joke of a comeback timeline.
But the story here is Vini. He’s now scored in all three group matches — Haiti, Morocco, Scotland — and that puts him in a very short list. Only Jairzinho in 1970, Romario in 1994, and Rivaldo and Ronaldo in 2002 have done that for Brazil at a World Cup. Four goals total for the No. 7, plus an assist and another hockey assist.
The first goal came early. Scotland defender Scott McKenna tried to play out from the back under pressure, got picked off by Raphinha, and Vini finished it in the 7th minute. Textbook pressing, clinical finish.
He thought he had another in the 22nd minute but VAR got involved. Referee Cesar Ramos went to the monitor and decided Vini had put his foot in front of Jack Hendry, who then tripped over him. The replay made it look like a foul on the defender more than a foul by Vini, but the call stood. No goal.
Vini didn’t have to wait long. Before halftime, Bruno Guimarães sent in a cross and Vini buried it. Clean. No VAR this time. That made him the second leading scorer in the tournament so far behind only Lionel Messi with five.
Cunha made it 3-0 in the 60th minute after another great sequence from Guimarães. That’s three goals in the tournament for the No. 9, who keeps finding ways to get on the end of things.
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti sat Casemiro to protect his yellow card and brought Martinelli into the midfield. Scotland started to push back a little and actually made Alisson work for a change. But the game was already decided by then.
Neymar came on in the 76th minute. It ended a drought that stretched back to October 17, 2023 — the date he tore his ACL against Uruguay. He looked eager, tried a few combination plays, took a free kick, got a shot on target. Not vintage Neymar, but a start.
The appearance also put Neymar in rare company. He joins Djalma Santos, Pele, and Cafu as the only Brazilian players to appear in at least one match in four different World Cups. Nilton Santos, Ronaldo, and Thiago Silva were part of four squads but didn’t actually play in one of those editions each.
Brazil now waits for the Group F runner-up. That could be Japan, Sweden, or the Netherlands. The knockout match is Monday at 2 p.m. Brasilia time. The final group games play out Thursday.
Ancelotti also gave Douglas Santos some rest and let Endrick get more minutes. The team looks settled, confident, and dangerous. And Vini Jr. is playing like a man who knows this is his tournament.
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