Brazil and Morocco draw 1-1 – Vinícius Júnior prevents opening defeat for the Selecao

It was instead the North Africans who broke the deadlock. In the 21st minute, Brahim Díaz of Real Madrid played a perfect, threaded pass through the middle, sending forward Ismael Saibari through, and the forward lofted the ball over goalkeeper Alisson, who had rushed off his line, from 18 meters out. The 25-year-old, who plays for PSV Eindhoven and has reportedly attracted the interest of FC Bayern, coolly converted the assist to give Morocco the lead.

Brazil needed around ten minutes to respond. In the 32nd minute, it was Vinícius Júnior who leveled the score with a brilliant finish. The Real Madrid forward, who must assume the role of the absent star Neymar in the squad, thus demonstrated his importance for the Brazilian attack early on. Neymar was unavailable due to injury – without the veteran, who faces a lengthy spell out with a calf injury, the Brazilian attacking icon was only on the bench in a training shirt.

Open exchange of blows after the break

What followed was an open game with chances at both ends. Just before the break, Lucas Paquetá tried an acrobatic bicycle kick in stoppage time, but Morocco's goalkeeper Bono saved the spectacular effort. After the restart, the match remained intense: in the 52nd minute, Bono kept out a Thiago shot, and in the 67th minute Raphinha narrowly missed a sharp cross at the five-yard box. Later, Matheus Cunha, a former Bundesliga professional, was brought on as another attacking option.

Morocco, the reigning African champions and one of the most respected teams in the tournament, delivered a mature performance against the five-time world champions, who last won the World Cup 24 years ago and finished fourth at the 2022 finals in Qatar. Brazil is not considered part of the narrow circle of favorites at this World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Outlook on the upcoming group matches

In the end, it stayed 1-1 – a result that leaves neither side in an ideal position but is also no disaster. Morocco faces Scotland in their next group match, while Brazil awaits their next opponent. The Brazilians will take from this game that they must find creative solutions without Neymar – and that Vinícius Júnior is ready to shoulder responsibility in that role.

The article was written by Ralf Lorenzen.