Vinicius shows he is Brazil’s main man in 3-0 demolition of Scotland

AS IT HAPPENED | Brazil vs Scotland, FIFA World Cup 2026

Vinicius may not have known it, but had he scored that hat-trick, he could have been the first Brazilian since Pele in 1958 to score three goals in a World Cup game. An invisible line would have connected him and Pele. Brazil’s third eventually came from Matheus Cunha, wrapping up their most emphatic day at this World Cup.

But it was an evening Vinicius confirmed he was the figurehead — that on days like these, he could trim his frills and be a cold-eyed finisher. The two goals will not make it into YouTube reels, but they demonstrated the deeper, finer layers of his craft.

The first came from a defensive horror. A careless touch from Scott McKenna near the box allowed Rayan, a 19-year-old from a favela in Rio de Janeiro, to steal the ball and pass to Vinicius. He collected it, went round goalkeeper Angus Gunn and lashed it into the net. Nothing spectacular to the naked eye. But watch his touches: piercing and minimalistic, nothing wasted, neither energy nor space. He controlled it with his right, then slid it away with the outside of his right foot. Both touches were velvet-light. No fury exerted on the ball. “He is the most decisive player in the world,” Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has said.

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It was hard to argue. “It’s his torque,” Brazil’s assistant coach Francesco Mauri noted before the World Cup. “He’s a phenomenon in how he uses it. He doesn’t need to wind up the shot a lot in order to generate power. After controlling it, he doesn’t waste time winding up. He uses his ankle and manages to place it and score.” His ankles contort as though they are made of wax. The great Ronaldinho too possessed rubbery ankles — little coincidence that both were groomed in the narrow hard courts of futsal, where close control is a requisite. Rayan, too, began his development at Vasco on futsal courts. Three generations of the same school.

The second was a humdrum header from a delightful cross by Bruno Guimarães. Vinicius, not renowned for thunderbolt headers, was a fraction late. But he leapt just enough to divert the ball goalwards, then pointed an imaginary gun at his head before the customary foot taps ensued. He had made the run from deep after completing his defensive chores.

Vinicius Junior scores his team’s second goal during the World Cup Group C match between Scotland and Brazil. (AP Photo)

His speed goes understated. His is not an athlete’s stride like Mbappe’s. He does not seem to move his legs but glides at annihilating speed. There was an instance in the second half when he wiggled past a press of Scottish shirts, received the ball on the run and passed to Matheus Cunha, whose shot the goalkeeper blocked — but here was Vinicius almost at the other end, willing it in. A gorgeous side-footed pass in his own half released Guimarães, even if the move melted away.

As with the two goals, he was there when Brazil needed him. There are senior figures around him: Casemiro, Marquinhos, Alisson Becker. But Vinicius sealed his leadership with action and example. He guided the young Rayan through his first World Cup night. He exhorted Cunha to calm down. He urged the crowd to raise the decibels.

This was an evening he felt the unconditional love of the Brazilian fans. The missing third goal will hurt him. Before walking away, he again held up three fingers. The magic number that would have linked him and Pele, a legacy passed on. But Vinicius is lighting up this tournament — not in the extravagant insouciance of Brazilian football myth, but in a minimalistic manner that could make them a force again.