Brazil Stumble at the Start of Their Hexa Mission

The Brazil-Morocco match ended in a 1-1 draw. Both goals came in the first half. After falling behind on a goal from Ismail Saibari, Brazil equalized through Vinicius Junior.

Brazil began their first two World Cup editions with defeats. That trend ended long ago. Since then, the Selecao have not lost their opening match at a World Cup. The team has remained unbeaten in tournament openers since 1938. They preserved that record against Morocco in the 2026 World Cup, but it was far from what they had expected. Their dream of lifting the title began in disappointment.

Morocco have emerged as one of the strongest teams in recent years. They reached the semifinals in the previous World Cup. The African side has also dominated continental competitions. Football analysts had predicted that Brazil would face a tough challenge, and the match reflected that expectation. Morocco made the title contenders work extremely hard.

Morocco started the game with aggressive attacking football. In contrast, Brazil looked slow and struggled to maintain possession, appearing under pressure. Within the first 10 minutes, Morocco repeatedly unsettled the Brazilian defense. Brazil also showed clear communication issues among their players.

In one such moment, Brazil lost possession in midfield, and Morocco immediately capitalized. In the 21st minute, Brazil gave the ball away in midfield. Brahim Diaz quickly released a through pass. Breaking the offside trap, Saibari controlled the ball and chipped it over advancing goalkeeper Alisson to put the Atlas Lions ahead.

Even after conceding, Brazil failed to find rhythm. Morocco continued to dominate proceedings. However, their growing confidence appeared to backfire as defensive focus dropped. Vinicius took advantage of that lapse. In the 32nd minute, he brought Brazil level with a brilliant goal.

Cutting inside from the left flank, Vinicius beat a Moroccan defender and finished clinically with a powerful angled shot. The move reflected his trademark quality at Real Madrid. It was his second World Cup goal for Brazil. He previously scored his first World Cup goal against South Korea in the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Just before halftime, Brazil had a golden opportunity to take the lead. Luck, however, did not favor them. In stoppage time of the first half, Lucas Paqueta's side-volley was denied by Moroccan goalkeeper Bono.

Brazil returned for the second half with two changes to their starting lineup. Danilo replaced Ibanez, while Fabinho came on for Casemiro. Both Ibanez and Casemiro had received yellow cards in the first half. Coach Carlo Ancelotti made the changes to avoid the risk of a potential red card.