After Ismal Saibari put Morocco ahead, Vinicius Junior put Brazil out of trouble with a wonderful goal.
A moment of magic from Vinicius Junior helped Brazil snatch a point against Morocco in New Jersey after a shaky start to the tournament for the five-time world champions.
In Saturday’s Group C opener, Ismael Saibari ran through and gave Morocco the lead with a smart scoop in the 21st minute, but Vinicius’ solo goal meant they would share the points in this much-awaited group game.
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Here are the biggest takeaways from the 1-1 draw at New York-New Jersey Stadium.
Brazil is off to a slow start
Brazil are chasing a record sixth World Cup victory, 24 years since they last lifted the trophy, but this performance suggests Carlo Ancelotti’s side have a lot of work to do.
They showed signs of nervousness early in the match and struggled to cope with a lively Moroccan attack.
A fifth-place finish in South American qualifying highlighted the scale of the challenge facing Ancelotti, but the performance did little to allay concerns about the quality of the Brazil squad.
Many players struggled to cope with the Moroccan team’s intensity, with midfielder Casemiro being sent off at half-time after a difficult opening 45 minutes in the heat.
The World Cup final in New Jersey is still a long way off, but Brazil will need to improve significantly to have any hope of qualifying.
morocco looks real
The Atlas Lions surprised the soccer world by reaching the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022.
Four years later, Morocco have a chance to prove that reaching the last four is more than just a one-off.
Judging by Saturday’s performance in New Jersey, the North African nation truly is a force to be reckoned with.
They arrived in North America as African Cup of Nations champions after losing to Senegal in a controversial final and winning the title retroactively, and continued their form with a dominant performance against Brazil, playing with a high level of confidence and a wealth of attacking threats.
Morocco looks ready to put up a strong tournament once again.
Vinicius shows his best quality
If Brazil advances to the second half of this tournament, they will rely heavily on Vinicius, who provides goals and assists in North America.
The Real Madrid man has been consistently scoring goals for the club this season, including 16 goals in La Liga and five in the Champions League, and now looks to be taking this form to the world stage.
With Brazil struggling in the first half, Vinicius received the ball from Bruno Guimarães on the left side of the area and cut back with his right foot, past Yassin Bounou and into the far corner.
It’s a magical moment he regularly produces at Real Madrid and the Selecao will be looking for more individual brilliance in future matches.
Neymar’s injury casts a shadow on Brazil
Neymar’s melodrama will dominate another tournament in Brazil, with the 34-year-old playing in another major tournament match.
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer is still recovering from a calf injury and has not played for his country since 2023.
He was dramatically recalled to the national team despite not being part of Ancelotti’s plans during his spell in charge, but his fitness and form remain under intense scrutiny after years of injury troubles and a poor spell at Santos.
It’s unclear exactly when Neymar will be fit enough to return to first-team action, but judging by the media attention during Saturday’s match, this story is likely to dominate discussion across Brazil.
Draw leaves Group C wide open
Brazil and Morocco are the clear favorites in the group, but Saturday’s draw in New Jersey left Group C a bit unbalanced.
Scotland are currently top of the table after defeating Haiti 1-0 in Boston and will be aiming for a chance to advance to the knockout stages for the first time in their history.
Morocco and Brazil remain the favorites to take the top two automatic spots, but Scotland know that a point from their final two group games will almost certainly secure them a spot in the round of 32.
