Africa-Press. Ismail Sabiri scored a brilliant goal in the first half to lead Morocco, which reached the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar four years ago, to a 1-1 draw with Brazil in the opening match of Group C at the 2026 World Cup finals.
Sabiri opened the scoring in the 21st minute after receiving the ball from a superb pass by Ibrahim Diaz at the edge of the penalty area. Noticing Brazil’s goalkeeper Alisson off his line, he expertly set up the ball for himself and sent a lob over the keeper into the net.
Brazilian Vinicius Junior capped off a fantastic individual effort with a precise shot from inside the penalty area, which goalkeeper Yassine Bounou could not react to, finding the net in the upper right corner to equalize for the five-time world champions in the 32nd minute.
Bounou excelled throughout the match, defending his goal against dangerous attacks from Brazilian players, and required medical attention in the 84th minute after appearing to be in pain, but he continued to play.
Morocco nearly snatched victory in the ninth minute of stoppage time, but Alisson made a brilliant save against a powerful direct shot from a distance by Moroccan Nail Al-Ainawi, before he showcased his skills again by saving another shot from Ayoub El-Maimouni after the rebound.
Morocco dominated most of the first half, threatening Brazil’s goal before the latter equalized thanks to Vinicius’s brilliant touch just after half an hour.
Brazil’s performance improved in the second half following several substitutions made by coach Carlo Ancelotti, allowing them to apply more pressure and maintain greater ball possession.
However, Brazil struggled to penetrate Morocco’s defensive block, and both teams settled for a point.
Strong Start
Morocco started the match strongly, applying early pressure on Brazil’s defense, and nearly opened the scoring in the sixth minute after three consecutive attempts, starting with a shot from Diaz followed by a try from Al-Ainawi that was blocked by the defense, before Achraf Hakimi sent a shot just past the right post.
The Moroccan team continued to dominate in the early minutes, while Brazil attempted to break free from the pressure through the left side led by Vinicius.
The first clear threat from the Brazilian team came in the 13th minute when Vinicius sent a dangerous cross before Nasir Mazraoui intervened to clear the danger.
Hakimi intervened in the 19th minute to clear a dangerous through ball towards Vinicius to a corner kick, before Morocco translated its strong start two minutes later when Diaz passed the ball to Sabiri, who shot with his right foot over the goalkeeper, giving Morocco the lead.
Morocco continued to threaten Brazil’s goalkeeper Becker after the goal, with Diaz shooting in the 29th minute, which was saved by the Brazilian defense.
But Brazil returned to the match in the 32nd minute when Vinicius exploited space on the left side inside the penalty area and shot with his right foot into Bounou’s net.
Brazil’s performance improved after the equalizer, and they began to apply more pressure, especially exploiting the spaces behind Hakimi on the left side of their attack.
The final minutes of the first half saw relative tension, as Casemiro received a yellow card in the 37th minute, followed by Roger Ibanez receiving a yellow card in the 43rd minute.
In stoppage time of the first half, Bounou saved his team from a second goal with a brilliant save against a direct shot following a cross from the side, deflecting the ball to a corner kick.
Offensive Intent
Brazil entered the second half with a clearer offensive intent, making two substitutions at the start with Casemiro and Ibanez coming off for Fabinho and Danilo.
Bounou saved a powerful shot in the 51st minute, while the Brazilian team maintained control of the midfield as Moroccan attacking attempts dwindled.
The Brazilian coach introduced Matheus Cunha in the 61st minute for Lucas Paquetá, followed by Luis Henrique replacing Igor Thiago a minute later, in an attempt to increase offensive effectiveness.
Morocco’s coach Mohamed Wahbi responded with two substitutions in the 65th minute, bringing in Shams Al-Din Talabi for Diaz and Samir Al-Murabit for Azzedine Ounahi, aiming to restore balance in midfield.
Raphinha missed a dangerous opportunity for Brazil in the 68th minute when a low cross passed in front of him without him managing to convert it into a goal.
Morocco had its first clear breakthrough in the second half in the 71st minute when Sabiri penetrated the penalty area and shot under pressure, but the referee ruled him offside.
Sabiri skillfully returned in the 77th minute, sending a dangerous cross that was intercepted by the Brazilian defense, before Raphinha responded a minute later with a powerful ground shot saved by Bounou.
Morocco nearly paid a heavy price for a defensive error in the 83rd minute when Issa Diop played a short ball back to Bounou, but the Moroccan goalkeeper exited the penalty area and cleared the situation before colliding with Raphinha and requiring treatment.
Morocco substituted Sofiane Rahimi for Sabiri in the 89th minute, before the referee added 10 minutes of stoppage time that featured the most dangerous moments of the match.
Bounou shone again in the second minute of stoppage time under strong Brazilian pressure to maintain the draw.
In the ninth minute of stoppage time in the second half, Morocco nearly snatched a winning goal, but Alisson’s brilliance ensured the match ended in a draw.
