Matheus Cunha excelled for Brazil with an assist, demonstrating that his club form can translate to the international level.
Despite criticism for missing a goal opportunity, the Brazilian media praised Cunha’s play.
Cunha’s outstanding performance garnered him acclaim for effortlessly integrating play in Brazil’s victory and earning World Cup qualifying.
Following Brazil’s 1-0 triumph over Paraguay on Tuesday night, the Brazilian media offered a clear verdict on new Manchester United signing Matheus Cunha. Cunha began in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, and Vinicius Junior’s 44th-minute goal clinched the victory at the Corinthians Arena, securing Brazil’s World Cup qualifying.
Fans of Manchester United were undoubtedly keeping a close eye on Cunha, who came from Wolves for Β£62.5 million this summer. Many will be aware with his ability, having seen him in the Premier League last season, where he scored 15 goals and assisted six times – even as Wolves struggled and just avoided relegation in 2024/25.
While excelling at the club level is one thing, reproducing that success on a global scale is a very different issue. Fortunately for United, Cunha appears to be rising to the challenge, continuing his impressive club form into Brazil’s summer internationals.
How Matheus Cunha Performed During Brazil 1-0 Paraguay
He was an influential presence in attack, notching an assist to show for it
During his time at Molineux, Cunha frequently transformed turmoil into innovation. Even when Wolves were at their lowest point in the previous two seasons, the agile forward had a tendency of igniting his team, keeping the gears going with intelligent movement and conjuring moments of brilliance from thin air to win games on his own.
That same spark was on full display again in midweek, when Cunha gave a fascinating audition to new Brazil manager Ancelotti. From an attacking midfield position, he created two clear-cut chances, made three important passes, and executed his lone dribble effortlessly. But his outstanding moment came just before halftime, when he drove into the box and delivered a superbly weighted assist to Vinicius Junior. Watch this moment below:
A look at Cunha’s full match highlights will undoubtedly fire the thirst of Red Devil supporters even more. When the 26-year-old had the ball at his feet, the game seemed to flow much faster, frequently resulting in a precise cross, a threatening shooting, or a brilliant pass that propelled his teammates deep into enemy territory.
Cunha proved to be both an originator and an orchestrator, and his unrelenting determination during his 79-minute cameo was a purposeful display. Old Trafford has long sought the kind of energy and influence that Bruno Fernandes has provided on a continuous basis in recent years. Watch Cunha’s complete bout highlights below:
How Brazilian Media Reacted To Cunha’s Performance
The new Man United signing received rave reviews
Although Brazil has always had a great roster, they have not regularly moved into high gear in recent international competitions, as indicated by the fact that they have not won a major championship since the 2019 Copa America. Prior to that, their most recent World Cup victory was in 2002, and their prior one was in 2004.
Big-name talent does not often convert into silverware, but Cunha’s recent tryout to help Brazil recapture their glory at next year’s World Cup has garnered positive feedback from the national media. He proved to be an ideal lynchpin, smoothly integrating play across the pitch.
However, given the high expectations surrounding a squad that has won more World Cups than anybody else, even a great performance was not without criticism. His open-goal miss in the first half received a lot of criticism. Watch the incident below.
O Tempo Sports called the occurrence a “moment of madness,” claiming Cunha did “the hardest thing” by failing to score when heading the ball back into play would have been easier. BolaVIP branded Cunha “the redemption man,” describing his performance as a “hell to heaven” story after assisting Vinicius Jr’s goal only 10 minutes later, having missed in such “bizarre” fashion. Similarly, an English fan account for Brazil wrote on X (see post below):
“Matheus Cunha has the spirit and drive that we need all our players to have.”
O Globo credited Ancelotti for returning Cunha into the starting lineup, an outstanding decision that helped guarantee Brazil’s spot in the 2026 World Cup, owing to Cunha’s crucial assist.
Tribuna de Petropolis took a similar tone, condemning the missed “incredible chance,” but praising the assist as textbook “centre-forward play” – a moment that would undoubtedly please United manager Ruben Amorim, who has yet to sign a natural striker this summer as they accelerate a deal for Viktor Gyokeres.
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