Vinícius Júnior scores twice as Brazil beats Scotland 3-0

Brazil made its knockout-round intentions plain at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where Vinícius Júnior scored in the seventh minute and again in first-half stoppage time to set up a 3-0 win over Scotland on June 24. Matheus Cunha added the third goal in the 60th minute, and Brazil finished first in Group C.

The result sent the five-time World Cup champion into the knockout stage as group winner and extended a remarkable run of consistency on the sport’s biggest stage. Brazil has now reached the knockout rounds for the 15th consecutive World Cup, a stretch that has become one of the clearest markers of the team’s staying power in the tournament hierarchy.

Vinícius has now scored in all three of Brazil’s group matches, and his two-goal night lifted him to four goals in the tournament. That total left him tied with Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé, one behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, placing the Brazil forward firmly among the top scorers heading into the next round.

The pattern of the match mattered as much as the final score. Vinícius struck early to give Brazil control, and his second goal just before halftime deepened that grip before Cunha finished the job after the break. Brazil’s attack produced from both sides of the interval, a sign of a side that can start fast and keep pressure on an opponent deep into the match.

Brazil will begin the knockout rounds at NRG Stadium in Houston on June 29. Scotland’s loss left its own hopes of reaching the next phase in the balance, while Brazil moved on with a clean sheet, a group title and a forward line already showing tournament-level sharpness.