Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti attributed his team's hesitant performance in the first half against Morocco to the tension from the start of the World Cup. The five-time world champions reached a 1-1 draw in their first Group C match at the 2026 World Cup thanks to a goal by Vinicius Junior, BTA reports.
„I think the team was a little nervous at the beginning. The nerves were everywhere. We were not able to keep the ball enough. After the break, things looked better, but the match remained difficult. "I'm sure we'll show a better face in the next match," Ancelotti said, quoted by Reuters.
The Italian coach is in charge of his first World Cup match as national team coach, despite an impressive career that includes a record five Champions League trophies as a coach. After the match, top scorer Vinicius Junior admitted that Brazil's performance was not up to expectations. "We need to keep the ball more and move better on the pitch. There's no point in talking too much now - we just need to improve our game," the Real Madrid forward said.
Ancelotti also reacted sharply when asked if he was late with the substitutions during the match. "We made two substitutions at half-time and another in the 61st minute. "I don't think we wasted time with the substitutions," the coach was emphatic.
He refused to make individual criticisms of Casemiro and Roger Ibanez, who started as starters. "They performed well. I am convinced that I made the right choice. I will not criticise individual players. If there is criticism, it should be towards the whole team, because in the first half we did not play well enough," Ancelotti added.