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Brazil battled back to secure a 1-1 draw with Morocco in an entertaining 2026 World Cup group-stage match at MetLife Stadium.
Morocco started the game at a thunderous pace and took the lead when Ismael Saibari chipped the ball over Alisson.
But Vinicius Jr levelled against the run of play with a fine finish just before half-time.
Both sides appeared to tire late on, with the draw leaving Group C fascinatingly poised.
Jack Lang, Amy Lawrence and Adam Crafton have unpacked this match, delving into:
Follow the link below to check out their breakdown.
GO FURTHER
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Brazil are now unbeaten in their opening match in the last 21 World Cups (W17 D4), dating back to 1938! Morocco had a real chance to end that streak, which is twice as long as any other nation's, today.
Meanwhile, Morocco are now unbeaten in their last five World Cup group-stage matches (W2 D3), their longest run in this round of the tournament, surpassing their previous record of four games (W1 D3) between 1970 and 1986.
A good, balanced approach to that game from Ouahbi who knows his side had enough of the ball to win the game but appreciates the quality of the players in the Brazil squad, reserving special praise for Vinicius Jr. He knows better than anyone that his players can improve as the tournament develops but an opening draw against Brazil — in front of a largely Brazilian-supporting crowd — isn't to be sniffed at. As I mentioned earlier, Morocco have what it takes to go deep at this World Cup, and their manager knows exactly what they need to improve for the upcoming games.
While he was happier with his team's performance than Carlo Ancelotti, Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi echoed similar sentiments about having wanted to win today's Group C opener.
"If you’re asking me if I want to have the same trajectory (as reaching the semi-final at the 2022 World Cup), no I want to go beyond the semi-final. It’s one point but we wanted more. One is good enough but we will improve.
"I'm not disappointed — that's what I told the players. This match was high level and we need to correct what we did wrong for the next match."
And he too had a word for the fans who made themselves heard despite being heavily outnumbered: "I don’t know if there were only 20 per cent Moroccans, but I could hear them very loudly — it felt like there were many more. I hope they had fun watching a great match and I hope it continues throughout the tournament."
Achraf Hakimi made his 11th appearance for Morocco at the World Cup in this match, equalling the most by an African player in the competition's history, level with Cameroon's François Omam-Biyik and Ghana's Asamoah Gyan.
Illustrating Nancy's earlier points about the momentum swings in this match, Morocco attempted 12 shots in the first half, but then failed to register an attempt after the break until the ninth minute of stoppage time.
Morocco also became only the second side on record (since 1966) to attempt five shots against Brazil within the opening 10 minutes of a World Cup match, joining Portugal who achieved the feat in 1966.
The bus shuttle service that appeared to flow pretty smoothly bringing up to 18,000 people to MetLife Stadium is facing far more challenges on the way out. Over an hour after the game and very long lines to access the buses back into Manhattan. Fans from both sides are being great about it, singing together as the lines crawl along.
Just maybe the best skyline of the World Cup, peeping into view over the stands at MetLife.
There’s plenty of debate about the cost and means of fans getting out to the stadium, plus whether it should be called New York/New Jersey when it is definitely in the latter.
But what a view.
Right at the end of that match, Alisson made a great double save to keep Brazil in it.
He probably should have done better with the first shot — but his recovery is why he’s one of the best around.
HUGE CHANCE late in stoppage time for Morocco! 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/fngiuO9um6
This was a game of great technical ability, yes, but also a bloody battle for Brazil midfielder Fabinho. He had to go off with a bloody nose and change his shirt in the second half.
This match was not a story of one side dominating the other — the match was in balance with both teams enjoying spells of momentum.
Morocco’s substitutions with ten minutes left in normal time changed the picture and put the control back in their favour after a period of Brazilian dominance.
Two of the top teams at this tournament, unable to find the breakthrough.
Enjoy this angle of Ismael Saibari’s first-half goal. He’s out of shot here, having already lifted the ball over Alisson.
Ancelotti's press conference finished with a question about the huge Brazilian support inside MetLife Stadium. He thanked the fans for the atmosphere they created and then apologised for the performance they produced.
One thing that was abundantly clear during the second half was the frustration from the stands at Ancelotti's substitutions, more specifically his decision to leave Endrick as an unused sub.
Asked about the 19-year-old, the Brazil manager said: "I’m not here to talk about individual players — I only talk about the team."
Pushed on whether he left it too late to make any changes, Ancelotti was steadfast in his response.
"There were two substitutions in the 45th minute and another in the 59th minute. Do you hear what I’m saying? There were two substitutions in the 45th minute and another in the 59th minute. I don’t think we lost any time with our substitutions."
Speaking after the match, Ancelotti was clearly not happy with the performance of his players, but stressed that there is still lots of football to be played.
"This was a tough match, especially at the beginning. The team was anxious and there were nerves all over the place. We didn’t keep enough ball possession but in the second half we were better. We still didn’t do enough but I’m sure we’ll be better in the next match.
"I’m not disappointed and I’m not satisfied either. We have to work but that’s normal. Morocco played well, they’re a very solid team, very well organised. This was a difficult game."
That’s a second 1-1 draw of today’s World Cup action after Qatar and Switzerland shared the points in their match earlier by the same score line.
Let's see what the rest of the day has in store, with Haiti vs Scotland up next.
African football hasn’t always helped itself over the years, notably the controversy surrounding this year’s AFCON final which was eventually awarded to the Moroccans.
Morocco will be happy to put that final past them and be creating positive headlines on the pitch, something that could set the tone for the tournament.
There are 10 African teams at this World Cup, double the number in Qatar, and with two more sides from the continent kicking off tomorrow, Morocco has shown much better than South Africa did on opening night that the continent can produce teams capable of competing on the world’s biggest stage.
There were positives and negatives in that performance from Brazil and a draw feels about fair. Carlo Ancelotti will have learned plenty — notably that his team's midfield were far too easily overrun at times today.
The pre-match view over MetLife Stadium. It’s a stunning venue for this World Cup and will host the final in a few weeks' time.
Both Brazil and Morocco will hope to be there.
Team Stats
BRA
MAR
Game Details