Endrick off the bench settles a scrappy Brazil win over Egypt
Two defensive mix-ups, one teenage substitute and a familiar warning for Carlo Ancelotti as Brazil closed their World Cup preparations with a nervy victory in Cleveland.
Jun 7, 2026
Brazil got the win they wanted and a few reminders they probably needed. Carlo Ancelotti’s side beat Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland on Saturday in their final tune-up before the World Cup, with teenager Endrick settling a scrappy night minutes after coming off the bench. The result keeps the momentum going, but the manner of it gave the Italian plenty to chew on.
It started brightly enough. Bruno Guimarães struck inside the opening ten minutes at Huntington Bank Field, the Newcastle midfielder pouncing on a slack piece of Egyptian defending to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box. For a moment it looked like being a comfortable evening.
Two goals, two defensive gifts
It was anything but. Brazil switched off almost immediately, Marquinhos under-hitting a backpass and Mostafa Ziko nipping in to beat Alisson. Two goals inside the first quarter of an hour, both handed over by careless defending, and a Brazil back line that will face far sharper opponents than Egypt once the tournament begins.
Ancelotti tore up the team at the break, throwing on Endrick, Matheus Cunha, Luiz Henrique and others, while Egypt answered by introducing Mohamed Salah. The reshuffle paid off quickly. In the 52nd minute Raphinha slipped a pass into the box and Endrick took a touch before curling a left-footed finish into the far corner. Seven minutes on the pitch, one goal, and the kind of cameo that keeps a 19-year-old in the conversation for minutes that matter.
Encouragement and warning signs before Morocco
Raphinha was Brazil’s liveliest attacker before he made way on 71 minutes, having created the winner and a couple of other openings. Vinicius Junior saw plenty of the ball too, drawing an early yellow card out of Egypt when he was hauled down on the left. There is no shortage of attacking quality in this squad, which has never been the question.
The defending is. Conceding from a misplaced backpass against Egypt is the sort of lapse that gets punished by the teams Brazil expect to meet deep in the tournament, and Ancelotti knows it. He was also without Neymar again, the forward still being managed after the injury concerns that have shadowed his build-up.
None of it dampened the manager’s certainty. Ancelotti said he already knows the side he will pick for Brazil’s opener, insisting he has a clear idea of his strongest eleven. They begin Group C against Morocco at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, 13 June, with Scotland and Haiti also in the pool. A win is a win, and five-time champions rarely apologise for an ugly one. But Brazil left Cleveland knowing the front end is ready and the back end still has work to do.