How five-time World Cup winners Brazil stumbled to draw with Morocco | OneFootball

Brazil may have claimed a 1-1 draw over Morocco at the Metlife Stadium in their first World Cup match in Group B thanks to a stunning strike from Vinicius Jr, but his team were poor.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side went behind to the African Cup of Nations holders after Ismael Saibari’s audacious lob over Alisson, and were outplayed for large periods of the game.

Vinicius Jr levelled matters before half time with a moment of sheer inspiration, but the Canarinho could not push on to find a winner in a display that was devoid of cohesion and cutting edge.

Seleção completed just 69 passes in the final third compared to their opponents’ 123 and won a lowly 42% of their ground duels.

Neymar had been ruled out days prior with a calf strain, and had he started alongside Vinicius Jr the result may have been different. But that cannot be used as a crutch to excuse such a poor performance.

FromTheSpot analyses the areas Ancelotti’s men must address if they are to end their 24-year wait for a sixth World Cup.

Vini Jr shines but ultimately let down

Vinicius Jr is the one and only reason why Brazil scraped anything from this encounter with an impressive Morocco side that went toe to toe with one of the best squads in world football.

Having gone 1-0 down and facing a sustained wave of Moroccan pressure, the Verde Amerela needed something special and the Real Madrid forward duly delivered when he cut inside and unleashed an angled thunderbolt into the right corner.

Unfortunately for the ex-Flamengo forward, his teammates were unable to help him out.

Igor Thiago started his first competitive match for Brazil at the expense of Mateus Cunha and now risks being dropped to the bench for next Saturday’s clash against Haiti, after managing just two shots and missing a decisive chance in the first half.

Raphinha was poor both out wide and centrally, completing only one of his five dribbles and Lucas Paqueta was equally as underwhelming in the number 10 with a total carrying distance of 92.6 metres.

The substitutes, when they arrived, were a mixed bag. Cunha failed to complete any key passes or dribbles but Luiz Henrique impressed with a passing accuracy of 92%. Lesson number one for Brazil: scale up their intent to move about the field.

Midfield errors as Casemiro substituted at the break

Midfield errors were also a recurring problem for Ancelotti’s side. The Canarinho’s men in the centre frequently gave the ball away, failed to build much in the way of attacking opportunities, and found it difficult to live with their opponents’ pressing intensity.

Casemiro was particularly poor despite what his strong passing percentage of 92% may suggest.

The ex-Man United player won just 25% of his ground duels and struggled to keep up with his younger and more mobile adversaries, as his worrying lack of pace and dynamism was exposed without the boundless energy of Kobbie Mainoo.

Gabriel and Marquinhos lacking in authority

Prior to kick-off Gabriel and Marquinhos were agreed by BBC Sport’s Guy Mowbray and Alan Shearer as being the best centre back pairing in the tournament, having won the Premier League and Champions League respectively in stellar club campaigns.

But they were pretty lackluster by their exceptionally high standards, as both men toiled against a ferocious Moroccan attack.

Gabriel in particular looked a shadow of the player who excelled at Arsenal last term, appearing slow and ponderous as he was caught napping in the build up to Morocco’s opener and let Taibi steam in behind and execute the cheekiest of chips.

The cherry on top of the pair’s dire displays was Morocco’s goal, with Brahim Diaz finding a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between the two of them to play in Ismael Saibari.

Both men improved somewhat in the second period and managed 14 defensive contributions between them, but they will need to cut out the inconsistency if they are to cap sensational seasons with World Cup glory.

Next week’s clash against Haiti will be an excellent chance for Ancelotti and his squad to work their issues out and build morale. But if they recreate their performance against Morocco against a fellow favourite, they can waive goodbye to any hope of a sixth trophy.

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