News Focus
- Vinícius Júnior scores his 10th international goal to earn Brazil a 1-1 draw against Morocco
- Ismael Saibari puts Morocco ahead with a brilliant lob over Alisson Becker
- Carlo Ancelotti admits Brazil played with nerves and must improve quickly
- Roger Ibañez struggles at right-back as Morocco target Brazil’s defensive weaknesses
- Neymar misses the match due to a calf injury
Vinícius Júnior saved Brazil from an embarrassing start to their World Cup campaign with a vital equaliser against a brilliant Morocco side. The Real Madrid forward struck from a tight angle to secure a 1-1 draw at the New York New Jersey Stadium after Ismael Saibari had given Morocco a deserved lead.
Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge of the national team last year, watched his players struggle badly during the first 45 minutes. Morocco controlled the midfield through the excellent teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, while Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães could not stop the North African attacks.
The problems started early for Brazil. Ancelotti surprised many fans by playing Roger Ibañez at right-back instead of his usual centre-back position. Morocco noticed this weakness immediately. Noussair Mazraoui attacked down the left wing several times, and Morocco created chances before Brahim Díaz sent a perfect long pass to Saibari. The midfielder calmly lifted the ball over the stranded Alisson to make it 1-0.
Brazil looked nervous and could not find their rhythm. However, Vinícius Júnior changed the game just before half-time. He received the ball from Guimarães on the left side, beat a defender, and smashed the ball past Yassine Bounou. This was his 50th appearance for Brazil and his 10th goal.
At half-time, Ancelotti made important changes. He replaced Casemiro and Ibañez with Fabinho and Danilo. This made the team more solid. Brazil looked better in the second half and created more chances. Lucas Paquetá forced a good save from Bounou, and substitute Luis Henrique nearly won the match during 10 minutes of added time.
Morocco also had opportunities to win. Achraf Hakimi chose to shoot when he could have passed to Díaz in a better position. Alisson also made a late mistake that almost cost Brazil dearly.
“We need to improve,” said Ancelotti after the match. “The team was anxious at the start. We cannot lose heart, but we must look at what we did wrong.” Morocco’s coach agreed that his players felt disappointed not to win against the five-time champions.
Brazil will hope to play better in their next match without the injured Neymar. For now, they must thank Vinícius Júnior for saving a point when defeat looked possible.