Carlo Ancelotti is hitting his stride as Brazil preps for World Cup knockout stage

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - It took a while for Carlo Ancelotti to become popular in Brazil.

He brought a banged-up squad to the World Cup, and Brazil's lackluster draw with Morocco didn't help his cause. But with back-to-back 3-0 victories - over Haiti and Scotland - Brazil is into the knockout stage with restored confidence and title aspirations.

It appears Ancelotti is finally hitting his stride with the five-time World Cup champion.

"He's the greatest manager of all time," Brazil fan Luca Scapinelli said ahead of Wednesday's win over Scotland. "Five Champions Leagues, he's won every single big European league. He can bring a lot to the table. We haven't had a coach this great in forever."

That track record of success in club football - notably with Real Madrid and AC Milan - was why Brazil, which hasn't won a World Cup since 2002, hired the Italian coach just over a year ago.

The common denominator of Brazil's tournament success so far has been Vinícius Júnior. The Real Madrid star, who had struggled to produce the same kind of quality for his country as he so often does for his club, has scored in each game at this World Cup, including two against Scotland, giving him four in total.

The 67-year-old Ancelotti coached Vinícius at Madrid from 2021-25, helping transform him into a global star. The tandem won two Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, and a Copa del Rey during that stint.

"It is satisfying because I had no doubt about how he could arrive at this World Cup," Ancelotti said of Vinícius. "For him, it is an honor to play for the national team. He is one of the best in the world, obviously."

After his goal against Haiti, Vinícius said that Ancelotti playing him in a different position than what he is accustomed to has helped him score more goals.

"I need to listen to him more," Vinícius said jokingly. "For sure when we get to the dressing room, he'll say he knows a lot about football."

Ancelotti, in his initial unveiling as Brazil's coach, said he had always felt "a special connection" with the country and fully understood that there's "a lot of expectation that Brazil will become champions once again."

That connection seems to be manifesting at the right time. When Ancelotti's name was announced before the Scotland game, the largely yellow-clad crowd gave him a rousing ovation.

"I like that he's really into Brazilian culture," said Caio Monteiro, a Brazil fan from Belo Horizonte. "He wanted to learn the anthem, he wanted to learn Portuguese, and he did in just a few months."

Some fans weren't thrilled with the hiring of a foreign coach, but that seems to have dissipated.

"If you look at our league in Brazil, all of the best teams have foreign coaches," São Paulo native Humberto Silva said. "That's just the way it has to be now."