Five important things we learned from Brazil’s win over Egypt pre-World Cup 2026

A Seleção scored a 2-1 victory against Egypt!

The 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup is around the corner and will take place in Canada, Mexico and the USA. The flagship tournament will begin on June 11. A total of 48 nations are going to battle it out for the mega prize.

Led by Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazil national football team is coming in after securing a 2-1 win against the Pharaohs. Ahead of the mega competition, it is a big confidence booster for A Selecao. They are now on a three-match winning run.

In their first friendly ahead of the World Cup, Brazil dominated against Panama and then came out on top against Egypt. Hossam Hassan’s men did put up a strong fight against the five-time world champions, but it was not good enough. They did bag a win against Russia in another friendly fixture.

The Egypt national football team surely need a change in their tactics. Recently, they have not been very consistent with their performances as the FIFA World Cup 2026 is about to begin.

Some details were very noticeable after this warm-up fixture ahead of the flagship tournament.

Also Read: Top five oldest managers at FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Dick Advocaat

Five important things we learned

1. Igor Thiago start over Matheus Cunha

Brentford’s Igor Thiago started ahead of Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha in the recent friendly against Egypt. Thiago is a traditional number 9. Cunha is more of an attacking midfielder or a player to start on the wing.

Carlo Ancelotti has stars like Vinicius Junior and Raphinha to play on the flanks. Lucas Paqueta has already performed well for Brazil as the attacking midfielder. The Brentford star, Igor Thiago, is most likely to be the first choice for Ancelotti due to his recent form in the Premier League.

2. Endrick supersub goal

Because of the competition for places, Endrick might not start for the Brazil national football team during the FIFA World Cup 2026. He is currently a part of the Ligue 1 side Lyon (on loan from Real Madrid). The forward has shown some great potential both as a right-winger and a centre-forward.

The 19-year-old came on in for Brazil after the first half against Egypt. He scored an important match-winning goal in the 52nd minute. This shows his potential to come on in the field and score a goal as a supersub.

Endrick can still be a breakout hero for Selecao at the mega competition.

3. Brazil’s three-man midfield

After some suggestions by the leaders in Brazil’s squad, Carlo Ancelotti opted to go with a three-man midfield option against Egypt. Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes were the first choice. It surely helped them to have better control of the game.

Ancelotti will now most likely proceed with this strategy at the grandest stage of them all.

4. Mohamed Salah’s fitness

Mohamed Salah came in as a substitute in the 45th minute for the Egypt national football team. This means that the 33-year-old is fit and all set to compete on the biggest stage of football. Salah is traditionally a right-winger and can also play as a striker.

Even though he failed to find the net against Brazil, Salah will be an important aspect of the squad for the Pharaohs alongside Omar Marmoush.

5. Brazil’s vulnerable defence

A Selecao managed to keep the ball in Egypt’s half with their high-pressing tactic, but also conceded an early goal due to their poor efforts in the backline. The passes by Marquinhos were not very accurate and surely need to be better next time around. Despite being fully fit, Gabriel Magalhães was rested.

It made it tougher for the Brazilian national football team when it came to defence.

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