Matheus Cunha is a Manchester United player in all but name as the club has already confirmed an agreement over the fee, so it can be said that he made his first start for Brazil as a United player.
Brazil played Paraguay in the World Cup qualifiers and after starting the previous game against Ecuador on the bench and playing 26 minutes, Matheus Cunha started here.
The Selecao won the game 1-0 courtesy of a Vinicius Jr goal at the stroke of halftime with Cunha being an influential presence.
Cunha’s next game for Brazil will now be on September 9, by which he will have already played a few games for Man Utd.
Here’s how the Brazilian press reacted to the first start made by Cunha since the agreement with Man Utd for his transfer was confirmed.
Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images
Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images
Brazilian press reaction to Matheus Cunha vs Paraguay
Carlo Ancelotti is still trying to get to grips with the Brazilian squad after taking over barely a month ago but Cunha figures to be an important part of his plans.
After playing 26 minutes against Ecuador, Cunha was given a start in his favoured No. 10 position against Paraguay, from where he ran the show.
He assisted Vinicius Jr’s goal and created the most chances in the match (3), throwing himself about in duels and working hard off the ball too.
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The Brazilian press was mostly complimentary about his display, but his open goal miss in the first half, where he headed the ball back into the box after catching the ‘keeper out, caught plenty of attention too.
O Tempo Sports ran a web reaction on Cunha’s moment of madness, saying he managed to ‘do the hardest thing’ because scoring was easier than heading the ball back into the box.
BolaVIP called Cunha the redemption man and his game a story of ‘hell to heaven’ since he assisted Vinicius Jr’s goal just 10 minutes after missing his chance in ‘bizarre’ fashion.
They added that the atmosphere in the stands had become hostile after Cunha’s missed chance but he redeemed himself with the assist, calming the fans.
O Globo credited Ancelotti for ringing the changes that brought Cunha back into the starting XI for the win, with Brazil’s place in the 2026 World Cup now guaranteed courtesy of Cunha’s assist for Vinicius Jr’s goal.
Tribuna de Petropolis ran a similar theme of dragging Cunha for missing an ‘incredible chance’, before calling his assist for Vinicius Jr. a proper “centre-forward play”, which would delight Ruben Amorim since he’s yet to sign a natural striker in the window.
Cunha has given Ruben Amorim a genuine striker option
Cunha dovetailed beautifully with Vinicius Jr throughout the game while starting in a central position which bodes well for his prospects at Old Trafford.
United’s failure to land a striker so far could see their plans for Cunha change, and the Brazilian has a good history of playing up top.
While Brazil did not play a back-three system, Cunha’s role against Paraguay was similar to what he can expect at Man Utd.
He started as the No. 10 but continuously swapped positions with Vinicius Jr who dropped deep and ran the channels out wide.
Gabriele Martinelli and Raphinha were the wingers but at United, he will potentially have Bryan Mbeumo ready to play that role and relieve some of his creative responsibilities.
Cunha is levelling up in real time and that is brilliant news for anyone associated with Man Utd.