World Cup: Brazil draw with Morocco in opener | OneFootball

Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco this Saturday (13) in their World Cup opener at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Vinicius Junior scored for Brazil, reaching 10 goals in the yellow shirt. Saibari scored for the opposition. Now, Carlo Ancelotti’s team turns its full attention to the match against Haiti next Friday (19) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, United States.

Backed by more than 80,000 fans in the stands, the Brazilian National Team entered its opener with high expectations, but Morocco took the initiative early on. In the 6th minute, Mazraoui made a play down the left, got past Ibañez and crossed toward the edge of the box. El Aynaoui struck it, but Bruno Guimarães, alert, cleared it away. A minute later, Hakimi fired a low angled shot after a move down the right, testing goalkeeper Alisson.

Vinicius Júnior scored his tenth goal for the Brazilian National TeamCredits: Nelson Terme/ CBF

In the 13th minute, Brazil threatened through Raphinha. The Brazilian forward led the attack and switched play left to Vinicius Junior, who drove to the byline and crossed, but Igor Thiago could not get there with his header.

Brazil tried to take control of the game, but it was the opposition that opened the scoring. In the 20th minute, after a quick ball recovery move, Brahim Díaz found Saibari free in the attacking half, and he went through one-on-one with the goalkeeper and scored.

Then, in the 31st minute, Brazil equalized! Bruno Guimarães led the attack and played it left to Vinicius Junior. Wearing the No. 7 shirt, he cut inside past the Moroccan defender and fired a low angled shot for a stunning goal!

What a beauty! Vinicius Junior cuts inside past his marker and shoots to score Brazil’s equalizerCredits: Nelson Terme/ CBF

In the 46th minute, Lucas Paquetá nearly etched his name into MetLife Stadium history in New Jersey with a brilliant piece of skill. Douglas Santos crossed to the midfielder, who hit it on the volley and nearly scored a beautiful goal. Bono made the save and pushed it out for a corner.

For the second half, Carlo Ancelotti made two changes to the Brazilian team, bringing on Danilo and Fabinho for Ibañez and Casemiro, respectively. On the field, Brazil looked solid defensively and managed to block Morocco’s buildup early, preventing their quick transition from defense to attack.

With strong marking, Brazil pushed forward more than their opponents in the second half, recording seven shots to Morocco’s two.

Brazil’s next World Cup match will be against HaitiCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/ CBF

Brazil came close to turning the game around in the second half. In the 32nd minute, Matheus Cunha played Vinicius Junior through on the left. The Brazilian star laid it off to Raphinha, but Bono made a good save after the Barcelona forward’s shot. Then, in the 47th minute, after a corner kick, the ball fell to Luiz Henrique outside the box. The former Botafogo player found Danilo Santos, who curled a shot that Bono saved.

Right at the end, Alisson made a fine save from El Ayanaoui’s long-range effort. On the rebound, Amaimouni got another shot away, but the Brazilian keeper produced another strong save to preserve the draw.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.