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Brazil forward Vinicius Junior etched his name into the country's football history by becoming the first Brazilian player in 24 years to score in each of his nation's first three FIFA World Cup matches, matching a feat last achieved by Ronaldo Nazario and Rivaldo in 2002, as per ESPN FC's X handle. The 25-year-old's achievement came during the first-half of Brazil's World Cup 2026 encounter against Scotland on Wednesday, June 24 (local time).
Vinicius Jr. achieved the milestone when he handed Brazil an early lead in the seventh minute after Scotland failed to deal with the ball at the back. Rayan disrupted Scott McKenna's pass, allowing Vinicius to race through, round Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn, and finish comfortably into the net. Vinicius had already made his mark in Brazil's earlier matches at the tournament. He scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Morocco in the opening game before finding the net again in a 3-0 win over Haiti. His goals against Scotland ensured he scored in each of Brazil's first three World Cup fixtures, a feat last achieved by Brazilian greats Ronaldo and Rivaldo during the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. That year, Ronaldo and Rivaldo both scored in all three group matches against Turkey, China and Costa Rica as Brazil went on to lift their fifth World Cup title. Overall, Vinicius Jr became only the fifth Brazilian player to score in the nation's first three FIFA World Cup matches, following Jairzinho (1970), Romario (1994), and Ronaldo and Rivaldo (2002), according to OptaPaolo's X handle. Notably, Brazil went on to win the tournament on each of the previous three occasions. Coming to the Brazil vs Scotland match, Vinicius added another goal in the first-half as Brazil made it 2-0 just before the break when he headed home Bruno Guimaraes' cross at the back post after Angus Gunn misjudged his attempt to collect the delivery. (ANI)
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