Cunha, Brobbey and Undav Light Up a Day of World Cup Drama

Saturday delivered one of the most eventful days of the 2026 World Cup, with five group-stage matches reshaping the tournament landscape by evening. Brazil were the most emphatic, sweeping Haiti aside 3-0 in the first half — Matheus Cunha scoring twice and Vinícius Júnior adding a third — to silence the doubters who had questioned their form after an opening draw with Morocco. The Seleção now lead Group C and Haiti are out.

The Netherlands were equally merciless. Brian Brobbey's brace inside 17 minutes set the tone for a 5-1 demolition of Sweden, with Cody Gakpo adding two more after the break. Sweden's tournament is in serious trouble. Across in Group D, a quieter kind of drama played out: Paraguay, reduced to ten men, beat Turkey 1-0, gifting the United States first place in the group after their own 2-0 win over Australia in Seattle — a result that leaves the Socceroos needing victory against Paraguay on Thursday to survive.

Germany, meanwhile, ended more than a decade of group-stage heartbreak. Deniz Undav came off the bench to score twice and complete a 2-1 comeback win over Ivory Coast, sending Germany into the knockout rounds for the first time since 2014. The 2026 World Cup has now reached 100 goals in just 33 games — the fastest any tournament has hit that landmark since 1958.