Marquinhos calls for a different stance on Brazil x Haiti: "The beginning is important"

Captain of the Brazilian team, defender Marquinhos spoke about expectations for the clash against Haiti and detailed the team's strategy to seek victory this Thursday (19), in Philadelphia.

According to the player, Brazil needs to adopt a different stance to that presented in the 1-1 draw with Morocco, especially in the opening minutes. Marquinhos highlighted the importance of taking control of the match from the beginning and seeking an advantage on the scoreboard as soon as possible.

"We are ready to face them however they come. Above all, we have to have the attitude that we tried to have in the other game and were unable to, which Morocco achieved at the beginning of the match. This start is very important", he said in an interview with CazéTV.

"We will try to control the game and take it to where we are strong. Have control of the ball, especially in the first minutes, and a fundamental attitude: seek the result as quickly as possible. It is with this mentality that we will enter the field today", he added.

One of the main criticisms of the Brazilian performance in the debut was the defensive performance. Marquinhos stated that the team worked to correct the errors made against the Moroccans.

"We work towards this, to be able to press high when necessary and know how to defend lower as well, even in moments when they manage to escape that pressure."

The defender also pointed to dead balls and physical clashes as some of the challenges facing Haiti.

"We see more and more in FIFA and World Cup games how decisive dead balls are. We train a lot to neutralize as much of their strength as possible. They are tall, strong players with great physical imposition, but we know that we can also be in danger in this type of play."

Finally, Marquinhos joked about the possibility of scoring goals.

"May we be able to score a few goals there, the defenders, to also be part of the result we are looking for today."

Brazil and Haiti enter the field at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Philadelphia Stadium, for the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

Source: CNN