NEW JERSEY — The first highly anticipated heavyweight encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C lived up to its billing, as five-time champions Brazil and a resilient Moroccan side played out an electrifying 1-1 draw at a packed MetLife Stadium.
Morocco, looking to prove their historic 2022 semi-final run was no fluke, stunned the heavy tournament favorites early on. In the 21st minute, Real Madrid’s Brahim Díaz sliced open the shaky Brazilian defense with a pinpoint through ball. Ismael Saibari latched onto it and delicately chipped over an advancing Alisson Becker to give the Atlas Lions a well-deserved lead.
Missing their talismanic forward Neymar Jr. due to injury, Carlo Ancelotti’s men looked frantic in the opening phases. However, individual brilliance dragged the Seleção back into the game just 11 minutes later. Marking his landmark 50th international cap, Vinícius Júnior cut inside from the left flank, linked up nicely with Bruno Guimarães, and curled a magnificent right-footed strike into the far top corner past Yassine Bounou.
The second half turned into a tactical, physical battle, but remained full of drama. Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior continued to create danger, setting up Raphinha, who missed a golden opportunity by shooting straight at Bounou. Deep into ten minutes of frantic stoppage time, Alisson Becker had to make a spectacular double-save to deny long-range efforts from Neil El Aynaoui and Ayoube Amaimouni, preserving a point for the South American giants.
With this draw, Brazil extends its legendary unbeaten streak in World Cup opening fixtures to 21 games. Both global powerhouses head into the rest of Group C with one point apiece.
