Juan Carlos Maygua
The World Cup arrived in New York, New Jersey with the matchup between Morocco and Brazil. Both nations were looking to start their participation with a positive result. Nevertheless, the momentum was with Morocco.
The African nation made it to the African Cup of Nations final and was one of the revelations in Qatar 2022. With players like Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz, they are expected to go the distance once again this time around. On the other hand, Brazil will look for inspiration from Raphinha and Vinicius Jr. to lift up a team that is no longer what it once was. All things considered, they are still the favorites, and we have yet to see Ancelotti’s influence in this Brazilian squad.
Two evenly matched teams
Morocco picked up where they left off four years ago. They took the initiative from the start with quick touches and high pressing in midfield. In fact, Brazil didn’t see much of the ball in the first 10 minutes of the game. Igor Thiago and Vinicius Jr. combined to create Brazil’s first chance after 13 minutes. Morocco continued to play with confidence and kept using their quick-touch style. Ayyoub Bouaddi and Hakimi managed to create constant chances on the wings thanks to their speed and dribbling skills.
Brazil struggled to find their ground but were always one touch away from setting up Raphinha or Igor Thiago for a chance at goal. Without Neymar and with Raphinha and Lucas Paqueta neutralized as attacking options, Vinicius Jr. stepped in to try and put Brazil back on the attack. The effort nearly paid off in the 18th minute, but he was unable to have good ball control. A good play could have pushed Brazil forward, but football is a game of moments.
Morocco punished Brazil’s spacing
Brahim Diaz seized that moment and took advantage of Brazil’s positioning on the field. Morocco had successfully forced Brazil to leave gaps between each line. This allowed Diaz enough time to find the space and place a perfect pass to break Brazil’s defensive line. Ismael Saibari was quick enough to anticipate the pass and outrun the defense, and Morocco took the lead within 20 minutes with a chip to Alisson. It was a low hit for Brazil, but it summed up Morocco’s dominance. Had they capitalized on Brazil’s weakness on the wing, they could have scored more goals, but they centralized their plays.
Vinicius Jr. answered for Brazil
Brazil held off as much as possible, but they slowly found Lucas Paqueta and Vinicius Jr. on the wings. Paqueta played a screen to allow Vinicius more freedom on the wing. He took full advantage of those spaces to find the equalizer in the 31st minute. In pure Vinicius fashion, he dribbled past his mark, made a cut inside, and his shot was enough to beat Yassine Bounou. The goal allowed Brazil to have momentum, but it was interrupted by harsh fouls from both teams.
They both went back and forth, but Brazil had the last say with a Lucas Paqueta volley in added time. Bounou was able to keep it out.
Bounou keeps Morocco level
The second half was mostly spent in midfield attempting to gain control. Both teams were reluctant to take any risks and turned the game physical once again. Bounou was key with two good saves, but Brazil didn’t create much danger aside from those chances. Morocco took a more defensive approach and gave up possession, walking away with a draw against perhaps the most difficult opponent in the group. Brazil, on the other hand, revealed what they could produce with possession in their favor, so it will be interesting to see what they do in the upcoming games.
What comes next
Brazil returns to action next Saturday against Haiti, while Morocco faces Scotland on Friday. Surprisingly, it’s Scotland who top the group prior to the upcoming fixtures.
