By ALANIS THAMES, MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP):- Vinícius Júnior scored two goals, Matheus Cunha also scored and five-time World Cup champion Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 on Wednesday to advance the knockout round.
Vinícius — who has a goal in all three of Brazil’s group matches — scored in the seventh minute and again just before halftime, tying Kylian Mbappé with of France with four goals, one behind Lionel Messi’s tournament-leading five.
Neymar entered as a substitute in the 76th, making his debut after a right calf injury sidelined him for Brazil’s first two matches. The majority-Brazilian crowd at Hard Rock Stadium began chanting his name midway through the second half as he got off the bench and began doing warmup sprints on the sideline — and fans roared as he trotted onto the pitch.
Neymar is Brazil’s career scoring leader with 79 goals in 130 international appearances. The 34-year-old forward appeared in each of the past three World Cups for Brazil, scoring eight goals.
Scotland is playing in its first World Cup since 1998 and has become one of the more interesting teams of the tournament. Its dedicated fans, known as the Tartan Army, brought a party atmosphere to the Boston and Miami areas ahead of their team’s matches.
Scotland hasn’t advanced past the group stage in nine tries.