Brazil made a spirited comeback to draw 1-1 against Morocco in a fierce Group C encounter at the FIFA World Cup on Saturday, with Vinicius Jr’s superb strike rescuing the five-time champions from a losing start.In one of the standout fixtures of the opening round of the expanded 48-team tournament, seventh-seeded Morocco threatened a major upset before Vencius delivered when Brazil needed it most at a packed MetLife Stadium.
Morocco stunned Brazil with early dominance.
Morocco, semi-finalists at the last World Cup, started confidently and controlled the early exchanges. Their pressure paid off in the 21st minute after a costly mistake by Lucas Piketta.Roger Ibañez’s short pass was mis-controlled by Paquetá and deflected off Bilal Al-Khanous. Nosir Mazrawi quickly gained possession and found Brahim Diaz near the center circle. The attacking midfielder threaded a brilliant pass through the Brazilian defence, allowing Ismail Sibri to make a clean sweep.With goalkeeper Alisson Becker slowing to charge out, Cibri calmly slotted the ball over him for his 10th international goal, silencing the 80,663-strong crowd dominated by Brazil supporters.An early setback rocked Carlo Ancelotti’s side as Morocco continued to threaten.
Vinícius leads the Brazilian response.
Brazil, chasing their first World Cup title since 2002, slowly settled into the contest and equalized through their star winger in the 32nd minute.Vinícius exchanged passes from the left with Bruno Guimarães, created space with a few quick touches and fired a powerful right-footed effort beyond the reach of Moroccan goalkeeper Yassin Bono.The strike, Vinícius’ 10th goal for Brazil, restored parity and injected life back into the Seleção.“We started on a really bad note,” Vencius said through an interpreter after the match. “Definitely, we’ve got to catch the ball. We’ve got to move better.”
Brazil survived a late scare to preserve the remarkable streak.
Despite several nervous moments, Brazil managed to extend an extraordinary record. The draw extended their unbeaten run in World Cup openers to 21 matches, including 17 victories, dating back to the 1934 loss to Spain.Morocco nearly grabbed a famous victory in stoppage time. Alisson parried Neil El Ainaoui’s long-range effort and, while on the ground, reacted strongly to keep out Ayoubi Amemouni’s follow-up effort with his right hand after another header had gone wide.Brazil were without injured superstar Neymar, who was sidelined while recovering from a torn right calf.The draw sets Group C up nicely. Brazil next face Haiti in Philadelphia before concluding their group stage against Scotland in Miami Gardens. Morocco will take on Scotland in Foxborough before meeting Haiti in Atlanta.
