Vinicius Junior scored his first goal of the World Cup to help Brazil salvage ​a ​1-1 draw against ​Morocco following a rocky start to their Group ⁠C opener on Saturday evening.The 25-year-old Real Madrid star's magnificent solo effort in the 32nd minute cancelled out Ismael Saibari's ​slick opener 11 minutes earlier for a Morocco side who dominated the opening half-hour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. But the South Americans shaded the second 45 minutes after manager Carlo Ancelotti ⁠swapped out Casemiro and Roger Ibanez for Fabinho and Danilo at the interval.By the ​end, ⁠both teams were probably satisfied ‌with the point before a star-studded crowd that included former NFL star Tom ​Brady, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and 2002 Brazilian World Cup winners Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.Morocco started ​brightly and deserved their lead. Brahim Diaz released Saibari with a perfect through-ball and the PSV Eindhoven forward clipped a beautiful finish over Alisson Becker. The equaliser was stunning if somewhat against the run of play. Vinicius is often criticised for not replicating his club form in the yellow of Brazil, but he might as well have been at the Santiago Bernabeu as he jinked in from the left wing and rifled a shot into the far top corner in trademark fashion. Morocco's intensity dropped a level but goalkeeper Yassine Bounou stood up to Brazil's best efforts and counterpart Alisson had to produce a late double save to prevent the Atlas Lions snatching victory deep into stoppage time. Selecao boss Ancelotti praised Morocco's start and admitted his side were second best until Vinicius's moment of magic. “I don’t think we started the game well. The team was a little nervous and lost several duels. The first half was not good,” he said. “It was a difficult match because Morocco are a very good team. In the first half, they managed to play through our press and created dangerous transitions. We could have had more control of the game.”Opposite number Mohamed Ouahbi felt his side had missed a chance to make a real statement by beating Brazil, and blamed the heat for their second-half dip. “We did what we had planned, but I was facing Carlo Ancelotti, so it was not simple,” Ouahbi said. “We wanted to win, and the players wanted to win. We felt that the match slipped away from us because we did not get the victory.“The substitutes did well. The heat affected the players, and some of them are taking part in their first World Cup. It is not easy.”New-look Morocco shine on big stage As 2022 semi-finalists and champions of Africa, Morocco entered this World Cup with a big reputation – a fact evidenced by them kicking off ranked seventh in the world, just one spot behind illustrious opponents Brazil. However, their tournament prelude included major upheaval caused by 2022 boss Walid Regragui’s protracted departure, and the promotion of U20 World Cup-winning coach Ouahbi only confirmed on March 5.His squad was controversial with only nine survivors from Qatar – a number that fell to seven when Nayef Aguerd and Abde Ezzalzouli withdrew. This chimed with predictions the Belgian-educated coach would transition to a more technical, possession-based style as opposed to the rigid counter-attacking style of his predecessor. Just four players remained from 2022 on Saturday night, in the shape of goalkeeper Bounou, full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui and midfielder Azzedine Ounahi. All were impressive, but it was some of the new faces who really shone at MetLife Stadium. Bouaddi and Saibari step up Ayyoub Bouaddi stood out visually thanks to his stature and mop of hair but, at just 18 years old, looks a breakout star in the making. Morocco pushed hard to recruit a player who had already captained France's U21 side, and his mature display here showed exactly why. Bouaddi, along with midfield partners Ounahi and Neil El Aynaoui, pressed, unsettled and dominated Brazil in the first-half. Play01:46Young stars to watch at World Cup 2026The Lille star, already linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, won his duels, recovered second balls and completed 61 of 66 passes in a complete midfield display. Further forward, much of the attention has been on Brahim Diaz, but Saibari showed that he too can be a star of the tournament with a classy display and brilliant goal.The 25-year-old has flourished at PSV in recent seasons and looks set to join Bayern Munich right after the World Cup. Ancelotti’s Brazil fail to convince The big question ahead of this game was whether the Italian coach would make good on his intention to front-load his team with attacking talent and roll out the 4-2-4 formation he’d trialled in warm-up games. As it transpired, he was more circumspect, and opted for a three-man midfield of Casemiro, Bruno Guimeraes and Lucas Paqueta. If that was a compliment to Morocco then it was warranted as the trio was run ragged in the opening stages. The arrival of Fabinho and Danilo at the interval gave the team greater balance and structure will provide Ancelotti with much to ponder going forward. Overall, it was a Brazil performance elevated by individual quality, headlined by Vinicius's equaliser. That alone will give them some encouragement.What’s next?Ancelotti's side might have lacked cohesion but with group games still to come against Haiti (June 20) and Scotland (June 25) they should have the opportunity to grow into the tournament. Morocco will take a lot of confidence from Saturday night's display and face the reverse of those fixtures, with Scotland next before concluding Group C against Haiti.