Brazil settled for a 1–1 draw in its World Cup opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, a result that will leave manager Carlo Ancelotti fielding plenty of questions. The Seleção got off to a clumsy start and were on the back foot almost immediately against their Group C opponents. The Atlas Lions enjoyed plenty of possession in the early stages and tested Brazil’s injury-riddled backline. When Morocco striker Ismael Saibari opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a cheeky chip over Alisson, the goal felt like it had been coming. The moment seemingly woke Brazil up, though, and 11 minutes later, Vinicius Junior thundered a right-footed strike into the side netting to bring the game level. Ancelotti’s men were the better of the two sides in the second half, but could not put together the end product to snag a winner, even when the referee signaled for 10 minutes of stoppage time. Once the final whistle sounded, It was the Seleção feeling like they left points up for grabs while Morocco no doubt was satisfied with a draw. It was anything but a dream start to Brazil’s 2026 World Cup campaign, but the team will like its odds of dispatching Haiti and Scotland to finish out the group stage. The One Thing We Can’t IgnoreVinicius Junior scored Brazil’s lone goal of the match. | Europa Press Sports/Europa Press/Getty ImagesSo much discourse surrounding Brazil in the build-up to this summer’s World Cup centered around Vinicius Jr’s struggles for the national team. For all his success with Real Madrid, he has never been able to translate his stellar form to the Seleção. Yet on the world stage, against the team’s toughest opponent of the group stage, it was Vinicius Jr who stepped up huge for his country. Another individual moment of magic from the winger was the difference between the hosts leaving with one point and zero in a game that ultimately could come down to which team wins Group C.Vinicius Jr did not have the perfect game. There were times in the second half where he was looking for fouls or bullied off the ball by Achraf Hakimi. But he still got himself on the scoresheet and created chances for his teammates that arguably should have been buried. Still, if Brazil want to go far this summer, it cannot just be the Vinicius Jr show. The No. 7 needs production from his supporting cast, or else the Seleção are doomed to come up short in another World Cup campaign.Brazil Player Ratings vs. Morocco (4-4-2)Brazil settled for a draw in their World Cup opener. | Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images*Ratings Provided by FotMob*GK: Alisson—6.6: Had little to do for much of the game, but game up huge in stoppage time to make sure his side did not concede a crushing late winner. RB: Roger Ibañez—6.5: Got torched one too many times by Bilal El Khannouss and was sitting on a yellow card after the opening 45 minutes. Yanked at halftime. CB: Marquinhos—6.9: Will have nightmares about getting caught lacking in the build-up to Morocco’s early goal. Recovered well and minimized the damage moving forward. CB: Gabriel—6.9: The struggles continue. Appeared to be running in slow motion to try and catch up with Saibari before the striker bagged the game’s opener. LB: Douglas Santos—7.8: No coincidence most of Morocco’s pressure came down his side of the pitch. Deserves credit for weathering the storm the best he could, without making any detrimental mistakes. RM: Lucas Paquetá—7.0: Failed his audition. Committed careless giveaways and spent more time yelling at his teammates than having an impact in the attack. Make no mistake: his defensive work inflated his statistics. CM: Bruno Guimarães—7.4: Found Vinicius Jr to set up the team’s equalizer. Looked his best when he pushed forward, which left holes in the midfield Morocco easily exploited in transition.CM: Casemiro—6.4: Struggled to get any type of grasp on the game. Failed to provide the stabilization Brazil needed in the middle of the park. Still, harshly pulled at halftime. LM: Raphinha—6.9: Impressed in flashes. Drifted centrally with ease and pulled the strings of the attack with his expert vision. Lacked the same influence from the right wing. ST: Igor Thiago—6.5: Couldn’t help but laugh in dismay after he completely missed a header that should’ve given Brazil the early lead. Did little to redeem himself afterward. ST: Vinicius Junior—7.3: Electrifying when he was on the ball, even with Hakimi tracking his every move. Danced into the box and rifled an equalizer when Brazil needed it the most. SUB: Danilo (46’ for Ibañez)—6.4: Tried to link up with Raphinha, but found little success. SUB: Fabinho (46’ for Casemiro)—6.3: Brought physicality to the game that had Morocco reeling. Put his body on the line and literally spilled his own blood.SUB: Matheus Cunha (61’ for Paquetá)—6.3: Brought a spark off the bench, but not enough to make a difference. SUB: Luiz Henrique (62’ for Thiago)—6.6: Created just one chance in 28 minutes plus stoppage time. SUB: Danilo (80’ for Guimarães)—6.1: Had a decent look at goal in stoppage time, but had no power behind his shot. Subs not used: Ederson (GK), Weverton (GK), Alex Sandro, Bremer, Léo Pereira, Éderson, Endrick, Gabriel Martinelli, Rayan.What the Ratings Tell UsLucas Paquetá will not want to remember much of his performance on Saturday. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesLucas Paquetá was a surprise inclusion in Ancelotti’s XI, and the gamble did not pay off. The 28-year-old was a turnover-machine, committing errant pass after errant pass that had Brazil fans at MetLife Stadium groaning. The moment was too big for him, and it would be shocking if Ancelotti stuck with him in the lineup moving forward. Brazil need more from Raphinha if it wants to make a deep run in North America this summer. The Barcelona winger had some bright moments, but he far too often just lumped in crosses from the right wing. Without a dominant striker leading the line, his deliveries ultimately became a way for Morocco to regain possession and snuff out any danger from the hosts’ attack. Igor Thiago bagged the second-most goals in the Premier League last season, but he showed none of his prowess in front of goal on Saturday. The striker failed to bury a golden opportunity early on and then was merely a spectator for the rest of his time on the pitch. With the likes of Matheus Cunha and Endrick on the bench, Thiago’s place in the XI is already under pressure just one game into the tournament. The Numbers That Explain Brazil’s Hard-Fought Draw Despite looking to strike in transition for large chunks of the first half, Brazil still ended the game with 51% possession. The team also managed a greater passing accuracy (88%) than Morocco’s 86% even though its midfield was lacking. Brazil only managed an xG of 1.27 despite having two of the best wingers in the world—Vinicius Jr and Raphinha—on the pitch. Ancelotti’s backline might have only conceded one goal, but it looked rather helpless at times to stifle Morocco’s 14 shots. Luckily for the hosts, only three were on target. StatisticBrazilMoroccoPosession51%49%xG1.271.52Total Shots1314Shots on Target53Big Chances 12Pass Accuracy88%86%Fouls1614Corners62READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow