Brazil delivered a dominant performance on Sunday night, beating Panama 6–2 in a World Cup warm-up at the Maracanã Stadium.
The five-time world champions started fast. Vinicius Jr scored inside the opening minute after linking up with Casemiro and firing a powerful strike from distance.
Panama briefly stunned the home crowd in the 14th minute. Michael Murillo’s free kick took a deflection and beat goalkeeper Alisson for an equaliser.
However, Brazil quickly regained control, with the Vinicius–Casemiro partnership proving decisive again just before half-time to restore the lead.
After the break, coach Carlo Ancelotti made sweeping changes and replaced almost the entire starting XI. The fresh lineup immediately increased the tempo and overwhelmed Panama with relentless pressure.
Teenager Rayan extended the lead in the 53rd minute after capitalizing on a defensive mistake, calmly finishing past the goalkeeper to make it 3–1.
Lucas Paquetá added a fourth from the edge of the box before Igor Thiago converted a penalty to push Brazil into a commanding 5–1 lead.
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Danilo completed the scoring for Brazil in the 81st minute with a composed finish following a clever pass from Paquetá.
Panama managed a late consolation goal through Carlos Harvey, who struck a long-range effort, but it did little to change the outcome of a one-sided contest.
See record update: Neymar Jr. Becomes Brazil’s All time Top Goal scorer
Brazil will now face Egypt in their final friendly in Cleveland before beginning their World Cup Group C campaign against Morocco on June 13. They will also face Haiti and Scotland in the group stage.
written by @enock katamba
- Enock Katamba is a Ugandan Journalist and Founder of Uncovered UG, an independent digital news platform covering Uganda and international developments. He reports on politics, national affairs, entertainment, sports, business, education and other stories of public interest.
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