Sports Desk ; RIO DE JANEIRO – Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil gave their fans a massive confidence boost ahead of their World Cup departure, routing Panama 6-2 in a warm-up match at the iconic Maracanã Stadium.
The Seleção showcased their squad depth with six different goalscorers finding the net: Vinicius Junior, Casemiro, Rayan, Lucas Paquetá, Igor Thiago, and Danilo.
Despite the heavy victory, coach Ancelotti admitted to some tactical discomfort regarding the first-half performance. The true Samba rhythm emerged only in the second half, following a sweeping tactical shift where Ancelotti substituted 10 players at once, triggering a flurry of four second-half goals.
Brazil took an explosive lead in just the second minute through Vinicius Junior. However, Panama equalized in the 14th minute after a free-kick took a wicked deflection off Brazil’s Matheus Cunha and found the back of the net.
Ancelotti started the match with an experimental 4-2-4 formation, which left midfielders Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro heavily exposed. The team struggled to build attacks from the back, relying heavily on aerial balls and long-range passes from the wingers that failed to pierce Panama’s defense.
Nevertheless, close to halftime, Casemiro restored Brazil’s lead to 2-1 by heading home a brilliant cross from Vinicius.
For the second half, Ancelotti completely overhauled the lineup, changing 10 players and reverting to a more balanced 4-3-3 formation.
The midfield trio of Fabinho, Lucas Paquetá, and Danilo completely seized control of the pitch, instantly sharpening both Brazil’s attacking fluidity and defensive solidity.
The goals flowed seamlessly in this period. Bournemouth forward Rayan struck in the 53rd minute, followed by Paquetá in the 60th, Igor Thiago in the 63rd, and Danilo sealing the deal in the 81st minute.
Panama’s Carlos Harvey managed to pull one back from a swift counter-attack, but it served as mere consolation as Brazil closed out a commanding 6-2 victory.
“The second half has actually created more selection dilemmas in my head,” Ancelotti joked after the match. “But this is healthy for the squad. Healthy competition and positive dilemmas are exactly what we need.”
When asked if the success of the 4-3-3 formation would alter his World Cup blueprint, the Italian manager added with a smile, “I want to keep some mysteries until the World Cup.
If I reveal everything now, we won’t have anything left to talk about. This keeps things interesting for the media too, now that the debate surrounding Neymar’s inclusion is settled. We need to keep the public intrigued.”
Neymar, who is still recovering from injury and was ruled out of the warm-up friendlies, walked onto the pitch before and after the match, receiving a massive standing ovation from the packed Maracanã crowd.
Following the victory, the squad was granted a short break to spend time with their families. The team is scheduled to board a flight to the United States on Monday afternoon, where they will be joined by Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, and Gabriel Martinelli, who flew in late after playing in the Champions League final in Hungary.