Vinícius Júnior: “We did exactly what the gaffer asked of us” | OneFootball

Vinicius Jr. and Luiz Henrique celebrate Brazil’s first goal in the 6-2 rout of PanamaCredits: Nelson Terme/CBF

Scorer of the first goal in Brazil’s 6-2 rout of Panama this Sunday (31) at the Maracanã, forward Vinícius Júnior said the friendly was a good opportunity for the Brazilian team to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. He also played a direct role in the second goal, scored by Casemiro. He was then substituted at halftime.

“I believe it was a good game for our preparation. There were two teams, one in the first half and another in the second half, but with the same objective: to arrive as well prepared as possible for the World Cup. I believe both teams (the two Seleção lineups) did very well what the ‘Mister’ asked of us, and we managed to put it into practice,” he said.

The No. 7 also praised the atmosphere at the Maracanã after the friendly win and spoke about the feeling of returning to the stadium. More than 70,000 Brazilian fans made the difference and pushed the team toward victory. “Winning at home, at the Maracanã, being able to come back here after such a long time, is always very special,” added Vinícius Júnior.

__instagram:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZBMFP9I4RO/?igsh=eGh1dzFqbXd2Nmkz__

Brazil beat Panama with ease in the match that marked the team’s farewell on home soil before traveling to the United States, where the Seleção will play another friendly, against Egypt on June 6, as well as its three matches in the 2026 World Cup group stage. Brazil’s goals were scored by Vinícius Júnior, Casemiro, Rayan, Lucas Paquetá, Igor Thiago, and Danilo Santos. Matheus Cunha (own goal) and Carlos Harvey scored for Panama.

The Seleção returns to the field on June 6 at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) to face Egypt in Cleveland. It will be the last match before the opening round of the World Cup group stage. Brazil opens its World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13 in Group C. The match will be played at MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Vinicius Jr. opened the scoring in the 6-2 rout of PanamaCredits: Nelson Terme/CBF

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.