Scotland lost a second World Cup group game with a bruising 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Miami to leave their last-32 hopes up in the air. Vinicius Junior took advantage of a horror mistake by returning Scots defender Scott McKenna to give the South Americans the lead in the seventh minute and then had the ball in the net in the 20th minute, but was adjudged to have fouled Jack Hendry.
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Matheus Cunha scored twice as Brazil moved top of World Cup Group C with a 3-0 win over Haiti. Vinicius Junior netted the third, with all of the goals coming in a first half during which Brazil looked markedly improved from their insipid opening draw against Morocco. The result ensures Haiti, who lost to Scotland 1-0 in their first game, can no longer reach the knockout phase.
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Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in the first heavyweight clash of the World Cup on Saturday, with the African side confirming their potential while exposing familiar weaknesses in their opponents at a sold out New York/New Jersey stadium. Ismael Saibari gave Morocco a deserved first-half lead before Vinicius Jr produced a moment of brilliance to restore parity, ensuring the points were shared in the opening Group C match.
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Gianluca Prestianni will not be available for Benfica’s Champions League playoff at Real Madrid on Wednesday night after Uefa suspended him following allegations that he racially abused Vinícius Júnior during the first leg. The one‑game ban is a provisional measure as an investigation continues. Benfica have said they will appeal and regret being “deprived” of the winger, but the club admitted they did not expect to be able to prevent the 20-year-old Argentinian from missing the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
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Bukayo Saka scored a goal and missed a penalty as Arsenal held off Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals in an incident-packed match at the Bernabeu. Saka stepped up but his weak, dinked effort was saved by Thibaut Courtois. However he made amends when he effectively killed off the tie with a fantastic chipped second-half finish. Real hit back through Vinicius Junior but a late winner from Gabriel Martinelli capped off a glorious night for the Gunners.
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