Brazil ease to win against Haiti. How much would Raphinha hurt them? Does Cunha have to start now?

Brazil made light work of Haiti in their second match at this World Cup, as two goals from Matheus Cunha and another from Vinicius Junior handed them a 3-0 win at the Lincoln Financial Field. The win puts Carlo Ancelotti's top of Group C with four points from two matches, after they drew 1-1 in their opening match with Morocco. Earlier on Friday, Morocco had beaten Scotland 1-0. A second defeat for Haiti, meanwhile, means they have no chance of reaching the round of 32. Brazil were much-improved from their game with Morocco but Ancelotti and the squad will be concerned by an injury to Raphinha in the first half. The Barcelona forward was withdrawn in Philadelphia with what looked like a hamstring injury after 40 minutes. Endrick, who Brazil fans and media have been desperate to Jack Lang and Emily Olsen analyse the key talking points... Did Brazil look more like Brazil? One of the difficulties of evaluating any Brazil performance is knowing how much weight to assign to all of the hoary old cliches. Jogo bonito, 'samba football' (a completely meaningless phrase)... people pin all of their aesthetic hopes on this side. That despite (a) the fact that they haven't played heart-stopping football for quite some time -- maybe since the early 1980s, depending on your standards -- and (b) Brazil's own knotty relationship with notions of sporting beauty. Brazilians love attractive football, sure, but they love winning even more. So did Ancelotti's side play 'like Brazil' here? What we can say is this: they were much, much better than they had been against Morocco in their opening match. They also looked a great deal more like the side that Ancelotti had appeared to be moulding in the lead-up to this competition. Against Morocco, Ancelotti picked a fixed No 9, Igor Thiago. There was no movement, no structure to Brazil's play. Their best player, Vinicius, was marooned on the flank. In Philadelphia, Ancelotti returned to Matheus Cunha, the man most people had expected to lead the line for Brazil all along. It worked on multiple levels. His movement allowed Vinicius to drift, finding little pockets of space. He dropped deep to combine with the midfield, allowing the team to move up the pitch more easily. Cunha also got involved with the defensive side of the game: witness his tackle in the run-up to his first goal. More than anything, Brazil just had combinations. Lucas Paqueta, Cunha and Vinicius are on each others' wavelengths; they swapped positions, swapped passes, swapped ideas. We shouldn't go overboard about a win over a fairly limited Haiti side, but for Brazil this was certainly something to build on. Jack Lang How much would Brazil miss Raphinha? There were 38 minutes on the clock when Raphinha sank to the turf. He looked over at the Brazil bench, signalled that he would need to come off. His team-mates came over to check on him. His facial expression -- blank, vacant -- suggested that it was not just a precautionary measure. Any absence in the next matches would be a blow to Brazil. Sure, he has struggled with injuries recently, missing 18 games across three different spells for Barcelona last season. He has also flattered to deceive at World Cups: this was his seventh tournament appearance and he has yet to score or set up a goal. His quality, though, is beyond debate, as is his ability to set the tone with his running. If Raphinha isn't fit, Ancelotti has a couple of options. One is the one he went for here: Rayan, the Bournemouth winger. The teenager has made a positive impression since his Brazil debut in March but did not, in truth, have much of an impact on the night. That may open space for Luiz Henrique, a player of a similar profile but one who has been a member of Ancelotti's squad since the get-go. Both players are wriggly, elusive dribblers. Raphinha's intensity and workrate would be sorely missed, however. Jack Lang Does Matheus Cunha have to start now? The simple answer is yes. Ancelotti made two changes to his line-up from Brazil's opening game against Morocco: right-back Danilo replaced Roger Ibanez and Matheus Cunha was picked upfront in place of Igor Thiago. Cunha has been a regular in Ancelotti's line-ups and the win over Haiti on Friday showed why. Against Morocco, Ancelotti wanted a classic No 9, someone who added a strong presence in the box and would win duels. That is Thiago. It made sense on paper pre-match. However, with 62 minutes in that 1-1 draw, the Brentford striker had an xG of 0.66, one shot on target (two total) and no chances created. Conversely, Cunha spent 64 minutes on the pitch in Philadelphia, producing two goals and showing why Brazil might need a more vertical option alongside Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, if the Barcelona winger recovers from the issue that led to his withdrawal in the first half. Brazil's weakness is in their central midfield and finding ways to break lines. Unlike Thiago, who often sat up top waiting for the ball, Cuhna both dropped back to win the ball in midfield and got forward to finish chances -- as he did twice against Haiti. Tournaments need versatile players and Cunha showed how and why he should be relied on going forward in the group stage and beyond. Emily Olsen What comes next? The final matches in Group C take place on June 24, both kicking off at 6pm ET. * Scotland v Brazil, Miami * Morocco v Haiti, Atlanta The team that finishes first will play the Group F runner-up in their first knockout game in Houston on June 29. The team that finishes second will play the Group F winner in Monterrey on June 29. If one advances as a third-place team, they'll play a group winner from Group A, E or I in Boston, Mexico City or New York.