MIAMI: Neymar made his first appearance of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after recovering from injury as Brazil secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Scotland to book their place in the Round of 32 on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old forward, who had not featured in Brazil’s opening two matches due to a calf injury sustained in May, came off the bench in the 76th minute at Hard Rock Stadium to mark his long-awaited return to international action.
While Neymar’s comeback drew significant attention, it was Vinicius Junior who stole the show with a brilliant first-half display that put Brazil firmly in control of the contest.
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The Real Madrid winger gave the five-time world champions an early breakthrough in the seventh minute, finishing off a swift attacking move to hand his side the advantage.
Vinicius thought he had doubled Brazil’s lead midway through the first half when he found the net again in the 22nd minute. However, a VAR review ruled the effort out for offside, much to Scotland’s relief.
The setback did little to slow the Brazilian star down as he struck once more in first-half stoppage time, restoring his place on the scoresheet and giving Brazil a commanding 2-0 lead heading into the interval.
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Scotland struggled to contain Brazil’s attacking threat throughout the evening and found themselves further behind on the hour mark when Matheus Cunha added a third goal.
The striker, who had already impressed with a brace against Haiti in Brazil’s previous match, continued his fine form by extending the South Americans’ lead and effectively putting the result beyond doubt.
With the game comfortably under control, head coach Carlo Ancelotti introduced Neymar in place of Cunha in the 76th minute, allowing the veteran forward to make his first appearance of the tournament.
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