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a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Vinicius Junior (7) celebrates after scoring as teammate Bruno Guimaraes (8) watches.Matt Slocum/AP / Alamy Vinicius magic earns Brazil draw despite uncertain start against Morocco Brazil remain unbeaten in World Cup openers since 1934, but had to come from behind in New Jersey. 1.36am, 14 Jun 2026 Share options VINICIUS JUNIOR SCORED a brilliant equaliser for Brazil in a 1-1 draw with Morocco on Saturday as the five-time World Cup winners made an uncertain start
to the tournament in New Jersey. Ismael Saibari ran through to give Morocco a 21st-minute lead with a clever scoop in the Group C opener, but Vinicius produced a moment of magic to ensure Brazil came away with a point. Brazil are chasing a record sixth World Cup title, 24 years after last lifting the trophy, but this performance suggests there is a lot of work to be done by Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Kaka were all members of Brazil’s 2002 World
Cup-winning squad and were among those in attendance at MetLife Stadium. Brazil have turned to the hugely successful Ancelotti a bid to end the country’s title drought. He is the first foreign coach to lead Brazil at football’s biggest tournament. A fifth-placed finish in South American qualifying underlined the scale of the challenge facing Ancelotti. However, the Italian insists Brazil possess a squad capable of competing with anyone in the expanded 48-team tournament. He was without Neymar for the start of the competition, with Brazil’s
all-time record goalscorer still recovering from a calf injury, having not played for his country since 2023. Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi urged his players not to fear Brazil, and his message appeared to resonate as the 2022 semi-finalists started brightly in one of the standout matches of the first round. After Neil El Aynaoui and Achraf Hakimi threatened the Brazil goal, Saibari made the breakthrough when he latched onto a fine pass from Brahim Diaz. Advertisement The PSV Eindhoven forward raced beyond Marquinhos and Gabriel
Magalhaes, holding his nerve with a clinical chipped finish over the advancing Alisson Becker. Ismael Saibari’s supreme finish fires Morocco ahead Watch all 104 games from the #FIFAWorldCup on RTÉ pic.twitter.com/3fxmIQZcCC— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 13, 2026 Brazil drew level 11 minutes later through Vinicius, who will have a vital role to play if Brazil are to shine this summer. The Real Madrid star received the ball from Bruno Guimaraes on the left side of the area before cutting back onto his right foot and
hammering into the far corner past Yassine Bounou. Vinicius Junior with a top-class finish to equalise for Brazil Watch all 104 games from the #FIFAWorldCup on RTÉ pic.twitter.com/MOaTbjeVXD— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 13, 2026 It belatedly breathed life into a lacklustre Brazil and Lucas Paqueta saw his acrobatic effort pushed away by Bounou before half-time. Bounou saved well from Igor Thiago as Brazil caught Morocco napping with a quick throw-in after the break, while Raphinha and Danilo shot right at Bounou as the Seleção pressed
for a winner. Morocco nearly snatched it at the death when Alisson parried a long-range effort from El Aynaoui and had to react sharply to block the follow-up from Ayoube Amaimouni. Brazil remain unbeaten in World Cup openers since 1934. They next face outsiders Haiti while Morocco take on Scotland in their second match. – © AFP 2026 Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Vinicius magic earns Brazil draw despite uncertain
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Vinicius Junior, Brazil, Morocco, World Cup 2026, MetLife Stadium, Group C, Carlo Ancelotti, Ismael Saibari, Yassine Bounou, Alisson Becker