“With the exception of…”: National media single out United star for praise despite country’s poor World Cup showing

Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha made his World Cup debut on Saturday night. Brazil match Cunha has played 25 times for the Brazilian national team, making his debut in 2021. He has only scored once, against Argentina in World Cup qualification. Cunha started on the bench alongside new United signing Ederson for their match against Morocco but did enter the fray just after the hour mark. Fellow United teammate, Noussair Mazraoui put in a spectacular showing and was widely praised by the Moroccan media. Whilst Cunha had a much quieter match, he was still singled out as one of Brazil’s better performers by the local media. Praise from nation Brazilian outlet Globo commented on their national team’s 1-1 draw with Morocco to open their 2026 World Cup and praised the contribution of United’s number 10. They explained, “With the exception of Matheus Cunha’s efforts to regroup and connect the midfield to the attack, Brazil was practically ineffective from the attacking midfield.” Globo also stated that, “even with the number 9 on his back, he didn’t play as a centre forward, but rather on the left side of the attack.” The media outlet singled out one action in particular when they described, “at 32 minutes, he made a great pass to Vinicius Junior, which resulted in a dangerous play. He was also important without the ball, frequently dropping back to defend.” ESPN Brazil were also quick to praise the efforts of Cunha. The sports network added, “of those who came off the bench, he was the one who performed best. He moved out of the box, helped in marking, and showed enough to deserve more playing time.” Cunha and Brazil will take on Haiti next on Saturday morning at 01:30 BST. Matheus Cunha stats vs Morocco StatisticValue Goals0 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.01 Total shots0 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Distance covered3.8 km Top speed27.6 km/h Number of sprints2 Running0.67 km (17.7%) High-speed running0.13 km (3.4%) Sprinting0.02 km (0.5%) Touches19 Dribbles (successful)2 (0) Was fouled1 Possession lost8 Total carrying distance68.5 m Carries5 Progressive carries1 Total progression27.2 m Progressive carrying distance24.9 m Longest progressive carry16.5 m Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)2 (0) Accurate passes5/9 (56%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)2/4 (50%) Passes in own half (acc.)3/5 (60%) Long balls (accurate)1/1 (100%) Def. contributions3 Tackles (won)2 (2) Interceptions0 Clearances1 Blocked shots0 Ground duels (won)6 (3) Dribbled past1 Featured image by Molly Darlington/Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.