Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in the first heavyweight clash of the World Cup on Saturday, with the Africans confirming their potential while exposing familiar weaknesses in their opponents at a sold-out stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Morocco Takes the Lead

Ismael Saibari gave Morocco a deserved first-half lead before Vinicius Jr produced a moment of brilliance to restore parity, ensuring the points were shared in the opening Group C match.

Morocco made the brighter start, patiently working the ball down the flanks and posing an early threat through Achraf Hakimi and Bilal El Khannouss while Brazil looked to strike on the counter.

Brazil Struggles

Brazil continued to struggle against Morocco’s intensity and organisation, although the Africans were unable to turn their superiority into further goals.

Instead, it took only a moment of brilliance from Vinicius to haul Brazil level in the 32nd minute.

Collecting a pass from Bruno Guimaraes on the left edge of the box, he cut inside onto his right foot and rifled an unstoppable shot into the far top corner.

Second Half

Brazil went up a gear, showing more poise and forcing Morocco to defend, although they struggled to create clear-cut chances until the 78th minute when Raphinha collected a cross from Vinicius.

The edge went off the game as both sides mostly avoided risks. Brazil did find some new energy in the final minutes, coming close through substitute Matheus Cunha, but they still lacked their vintage swagger.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.