Club News Brief

JAIR CUNHA EARNS FIRST BRAZIL START

2026-09-30

First senior start for Jair Cunha Dan Ndoye registers two assists Chris Wood joins up with New Zealand Jair Cunha was handed his maiden start for the Brazilian Men’s National Team by Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday 29 September. After making his first senior appearance off the bench during Friday’s 1-1 draw with Australia, the young defender was utilised from the start for the Canarinho’s second tie of their double-header against the Socceroos. Cunha played the majority of the game as Brazil romped to a 4-2 victory thanks to goals from Vanderson, Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães and Vinícius Jr. Elsewhere, Dan Ndoye was hugely influential for his country, as he provided two assists as Switzerland easily saw off Scotland 3-0 at Hampden Park. In the 55th minute, Ndoye delivered a pinpoint low ball into the centre for Nico Elvedi to tap past Angus Gunn before the explosive winger pulled the ball back for Zeki Amdouni to emphatically finish in the 82nd minute to round off the scoring. Morgan Gibbs-White played the final 11 minutes of England’s 2-0 victory over Czech Republic at the Fortuna Arena, with the Three Lions’ goals coming in the second period from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane. Ola Aina will have to wait until his next international call-up to earn his 50th cap after being an unused substitute during Nigeria’s 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau, while Ousmane Diomande and Ibrahim Sangaré were also left on the bench for Côte d’Ivoire’s late 2-0 win over Somalia. Chris Wood has now joined up with New Zealand for the next part of their international break in Japan, as they prepare to face Panama in the early hours of Thursday morning. Also on Thursday, Xaver Schlager and Neco Williams face Ireland and Norway respectively in the Nations League Group Stages.