Vinícius Júnior equaliser rescues point for Brazil in 1-1 World Cup draw with Morocco
The forward curled in a long-range strike to cancel out Ismael Saibari's early lob as the two teams began Group C at MetLife Stadium.
Pre-match emotions
Brazil entered the 2026 World Cup carrying the memory of two of its greatest icons. The CBF made it explicit on social media before kick-off.
Today another World Cup begins. The first without Pelé. The first without Zagallo. But every time the yellow shirt takes the field, they come along. And look: today is the 13th. So you know. Let's believe. Let's go for the sixth star. For Brazil. For them.
Carlo Ancelotti, still without the injured Neymar, handed starts to full-backs Ibañez and Douglas Santos, while Igor Thiago led the line. Morocco, coached by Mohamed Ouahbi, fielded Achraf Hakimi, Mazraoui and Brahim Díaz in a team built around several semi-finalists from Qatar 2022 and reinforced by a CAN 2025 title.
Morocco's flying start
Ouahbi's side tore into the contest, suffocating Brazil in its own half for the opening 20 minutes. The pressure should have brought a goal inside six minutes, when Bruno Guimarães blocked a certain goal from El Aynaoui on the line. The let-off was brief. In the 21st minute Ismael Saibari broke clear, spotted Alisson advancing and lifted a delicate chip over the goalkeeper to put Morocco 1-0 ahead.
Vinícius magic
The goal jolted Brazil into life. Ancelotti's men gradually seized control and the equaliser, when it came, was a moment of individual class. Vinícius Júnior, cutting in from the left, bent an arcing shot beyond the reach of the Moroccan keeper in the 32nd minute. The strike brought the sides level at 1-1 and restored order to a Brazilian performance that had been ragged and nervous in the early exchanges.
Key moments
- Bruno Guimarães blocks El Aynaoui's goal-bound shot
- Ismael Saibari lobs Alisson to give Morocco a 1-0 lead
- Vinícius Júnior curls an equaliser to make it 1-1
Second-half deadlock
The second period was played at a lower tempo but not without quality. Brazil kept the ball for long stretches and probed for a winner, yet Morocco's defensive shape held firm. Igor Thiago, Raphinha and Lucas Paquetá all squandered half-chances as the scoreline refused to budge. Morocco, for its part, threatened sporadically on the break but could not reproduce the intensity of the opening phase.
Group picture
The draw leaves both nations atop Group C with one point. The group's other match, Haiti versus Scotland, kicks off later in Foxborough to complete the first round of fixtures. The 1-1 result, while a fair reflection of the play, will demand more from Brazil if the hexa dream is to survive the weeks ahead.
