Brazil started their participation in the World Cup with a draw against Morocco. The match from Group "C" ended 1:1. Igor Thiago led the attack of Carlo Ancelotti's team, but did not stand out with anything special.
Both teams played an excellent first half, but the main merit went to the Africans. They took the lead with a goal from Ismael Saibari in the 21st minute and created several more good chances, which did not end with a clear shot. Vinicius equalized in the 32nd minute after a brilliant individual performance. After the break, the tempo dropped, the "Cariocas" had more control, but there were no goal chances.
Ancelotti's team started the match confidently, but it quickly became clear that the match would not develop according to the expectations of the "cariocas". The Moroccans began to possess the ball in certain periods and were the first to reach scoring opportunities. An excellent break by Mazraoui led to a wonderful chance for El Ainaoui. His shot was not very strong and was blocked by Bruno Guimaraes. A little later, Hakimi advanced separately and shot, the ball going wide of the goal.
Morocco's attacks were causing serious problems for the opponent, and Seleção came to an opportunity in the 13th minute. Then Vinicius made a break from the left and crossed to Igor Thiago, but he failed to intercept the ball with his head. A period followed in which Brazil had more possession of the ball, which stopped the Africans' momentum. Just when it seemed that the Selecao were starting to control the match, Morocco scored. A magnificent pass from Braim Dias brought Saibari between the two central defenders, and the striker finished magnificently.
Shortly after the goal, there was a water break. After Avcelotti's instructions, some kind of response from Brazil was expected, but the opposite happened - a very strong period for the Africans. The "Cariocas" made mistake after mistake, which allowed the opponent to organize several consecutive attacks, but they did not finish them in the best way. The best shot of the several attempts was that of Hakimi, but he did not find the target. Morocco had 11 shots in the first half hour.
The missed opportunities were punished. The ball reached Vinicius in the penalty area. He feinted and beat Bounou with a magnificent shot. The goal gave the five-time world champions more peace of mind. However, the Moroccans were not at all inclined to give up. Towards the end of the half, the game was a bit more fragmented and fouls became more frequent, and Casemiro and Ibáñez received yellow cards. Shortly before the break, a wonderful shot from Paqueta from the air was saved by goalkeeper Bunu. At the following corner kick, Marquinhos headed the ball but missed the goal.
Carlo Ancelotti made two substitutions at half-time. He took off Casemiro and Ibáñez, who were decorated, and put in Fabinho and Danilo in their place. At the start of the second half, Brazil seemed to have more control. In the 53rd minute, after a quick touch, an opportunity came for Igor Thiago. However, the striker shot straight at the goalkeeper, who cleared it.
The Brazilians did much better defensively in the second half, but did not create much in forward positions, despite holding the initiative. A good break by Bruno Guimaraes ended with a cross that didn't reach Rafinha. Alisson's first dangerous situation after the break came in the 72nd minute, when Saibari found himself behind the defense, but was offside. A good break by Vinicius led to a good situation, but Rafinha's shot was not good and did not trouble the Moroccan goalkeeper. In added time, Brazil tried to press and ended up with several dangerous crosses and a shot by Danilo, which went into the hands of Bunu. Alisson had to make a double save at the very end of the match.