Five-time champions Brazil began their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco after coming from behind in a tightly contested Group C clash.
The match was played early Sunday (June 14, Bangladesh time) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in front of nearly 80,000 spectators. The encounter featured two of the world’s top-ranked teams, with Brazil and Morocco occupying sixth and seventh places respectively in the FIFA rankings.
Morocco struck first in the 21st minute through Ismael Saibari. However, Brazil responded 11 minutes later when Vinicius Junior found the net to restore parity.
Playing in temperatures close to 36 degrees Celsius, Morocco started brightly and put Brazil under pressure from the opening minutes. In the seventh minute, El Aynaoui’s effort from Noussair Mazraoui’s cross was blocked by Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes near the goal line.
Brazil created their first major chance in the 12th minute when Vinicius delivered a cross from the left, but Igor Thiago failed to make proper contact with his header.
Morocco took the lead midway through the first half. Brahim Diaz threaded a pass from midfield to Saibari, who controlled the ball brilliantly before beating defenders Marquinhos and Gabriel. The forward then chipped the ball over goalkeeper Alisson Becker to make it 1-0.
Brazil did not take long to respond. In the 32nd minute, Vinicius exchanged passes with Bruno Guimaraes before firing a powerful right-footed shot into the Moroccan net.
The goal marked Vinicius’ 10th international goal in his 50th appearance for Brazil and his second goal in World Cup competition.
Both sides continued to search for another goal before halftime. In first-half stoppage time, Lucas Paqueta came close to putting Brazil ahead, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced an excellent save to keep the score level at 1-1 heading into the break.
The second half was more cautious, with both teams focusing on controlling possession in midfield. Several attacks broke down due to misplaced passes, limiting clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Brazil came close in the 67th minute when Raphinha’s cross found Luiz Henrique, but the striker failed to get a shot away. Twelve minutes later, Raphinha himself wasted a promising chance after being set up by Vinicius, producing a weak effort from inside the penalty area.
Morocco were rescued by Bounou again in the 83rd minute. A misplaced back pass allowed Raphinha a clear run at goal, but the goalkeeper rushed off his line to claim the ball before the Brazilian winger could shoot.
Deep into stoppage time, Alisson prevented Morocco from snatching victory. The Brazilian goalkeeper initially failed to hold El Aynaoui’s shot but recovered quickly to save the rebound effort and preserve the draw.
The match ended 1-1, with both teams sharing the points. Brazil enjoyed a slight edge in possession with 51.3 percent compared to Morocco’s 48.7 percent. The South Americans registered five shots on target, while Morocco managed three. Brazil also received two yellow cards during the contest.
