There are some things that have become staples of World Cups: Cristiano Ronaldo scoring, Italy missing out and Brazil topping its group.The Seleção extended its impressive record of finishing first in every opening round since 1982 with a breezy 3–0 victory over Scotland on Wednesday. Morocco’s surprisingly chaotic 4–2 victory over Haiti gave Brazil the edge in goal difference, sending Carlo Ancelotti’s side through to the knockout rounds from the summit of Group C.Whether Brazil will find an opponent as accommodating as Scotland, whose incompetence rivaled any ingenuity on display at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, is nowhere near as certain.Vinicius Jr Joins Short List of Brazilian LegendsVinicius Junior extended his fine start to the World Cup. | Image Photo Agency/Getty ImagesHeading into the tournament, Brazil’s legendary World Cup winner Romário lamented: “Brazil has players who perform well for their clubs. They play very well in the Premier League and La Liga. They are idols in their teams. But when they pull on the Brazil jersey, they fail to deliver.”Vinicius Junior was not mentioned by name, but he didn’t have to be. The Real Madrid superstar tentatively edged into the competition with just nine goals from 49 international appearances. He has now scored four already this summer, including one in all three group games. Only four other players in the history of the Brazilian men’s national team have ever matched that feat of consistency, including Romário himself.“I hope that’s behind them now and that they can at least perform at 80% of the level they show for their clubs,” the pint-sized striker sighed. Vinicius Jr is exceeding that percentage.Every Brazilian to Score in All Three World Cup Group GamesPlayerYearOpponentsJairzinho1970Czechoslovakia, England, RomaniaRomário1994Russia, Cameroon, SwedenRonaldo2002Scotland, Morocco, NorwayRivaldo2002Scotland, Morocco, NorwayVinicius Jr2026Morocco, Haiti, ScotlandBrazil Not Quite a One-Man ShowIt was thumbs up for Bruno Guimarães. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty ImagesOne of the defining features of Brazil’s opening two World Cup matches was how reliant the record champion was on just one player: Vinicius Jr. The in-form Real Madrid forward once again came up with the goods in Miami, but he wasn’t the only soloist in Brazil’s orchestra.All the talk heading into the tournament had revolved around Ancelotti’s stubborn insistence on playing with just two midfielders in a reckless 4-2-4. Whether it was a flash of realism (or the injury to Rodrygo), the Italian coach has instead balanced his side with three central players. Lucas Paquetá even dropped much deeper than Bruno Guimarães, giving the Newcastle United talisman license to creep higher up the pitch.It was Guimarães who swung the ball over a flapping Angus Gunn to tee up Vinicius Jr’s second of the game before creating an even easier chance for Matheus Cunha to make it 3–0. The deft playmaker shrugged Kenny McLean to the turf and shimmied past Jack Hendry before prodding the ball into the path of his grateful compatriot. If Brazil is to enjoy a deep run this summer, Vinicius Jr cannot be the only player relied upon.Neymar Fever As Fierce As EverNeymar Jr appeared at his fourth World Cup. | CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty ImagesSuch is the overwhelming power of celebrity at this World Cup in particular, one of the loudest roars of the night came when Neymar trotted along the touchline to warm up for the first time. The returning 34-year-old barely broke into a quicker stride during his 15-minute cameo, but he still inspired the most excitement in Miami 981 days after his last international appearance.The nature of the scoreline, and Brazil’s ease while 3–0 up, allowed Ancelotti to soft-pedal Neymar into competitive action, humoring his adoring public without jeopardizing the success of the team. It remains to be seen how many more favorable circumstances there will be in the knockout stages.Scotland Its Own Worst EnemyIt was not a game to remember for Jack Hendry (left). | Hannah Peters/FIFA/Getty ImagesBefore taking on Brazil, Scotland captain Andy Robertson claimed that he “couldn’t care less” about all the different permutations surrounding his team’s chances of qualification as one of the best third-placed sides. That may have changed now.Even a narrow loss could have sufficed for the Scots, who claimed three crucial points against Haiti to open the tournament. Yet, Steve Clarke’s side proved to be its own worst enemy with a blundersome display which began with Scott McKenna gifting Vinicius Jr the game’s opening goal. Hendry did his best to set up a second only to be spared by VAR, but Gunn helped the Seleção out by jumping underneath Guimarães’s cross.Now Scotland faces a waiting game to establish if an underwhelming haul of three points and a negative goal difference of -3 will be enough to sneak through to the knockout stages.One of the few things which has been happening for longer than Brazil winning World Cup groups is Scotland failing to get through the second round, a trend which has so far never been broken since the nation’s first tournament appearance in 1954.READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow