Five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil were forced to fight back as they secured a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their Group C opening match, maintaining their impressive unbeaten record in World Cup openers at 21 games (17 wins, 4 draws).

Morocco started the match with confidence against the tournament giants, showing little fear despite facing the five-time champions. Brazil looked unsettled in the opening minutes, while the Atlas Lions created several promising opportunities but were unable to find the breakthrough.

The Selecao’s defence was under heavy pressure and had to rely on crucial interventions. One of the standout moments came when Gabriel Magalhaes threw himself in front of a shot from Neil El Aynaoui, who had connected with Noussair Mazraoui’s pass at the edge of the penalty area.

Brazil gradually found their rhythm after the first 15 minutes as Morocco dropped deeper and dealt with increasing pressure from Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

However, Morocco’s disciplined defensive strategy was rewarded in the 21st minute. A fast counter-attack saw Brahim Diaz release Ismael Saibari, and the PSV forward calmly lifted the ball over the advancing Alisson with a brilliant finish to put the Atlas Lions ahead.

Morocco’s lead did not last long, as Brazil responded with a moment of individual quality shortly after the half-hour mark. Vinicius Junior cut in from the left side before unleashing a powerful strike into the far corner to bring the Selecao back on level terms.

Brazil nearly completed the turnaround just before halftime when Lucas Paqueta attempted an acrobatic finish inside the box, but Yassine Bounou produced an excellent save to keep the scores level as an entertaining first half came to an end.

Carlo Ancelotti made two changes at the start of the second half, bringing on Danilo and Fabinho to replace Casemiro and Roger Ibanez, both of whom had received yellow cards during the opening period. The adjustments appeared to strengthen Brazil’s structure, helping them look more composed and comfortable on the ball.

Neither team managed to maintain the same level of intensity after the break, as frequent interruptions slowed the rhythm and turned the second half into a stop-start battle. Raphinha came close to scoring when his effort was denied by Bounou after Vinicius Junior created space and found the Barcelona attacker inside the penalty area.

Ultimately, the match faded away with few clear chances in the closing stages, as Brazil and Morocco settled for a share of the points.

Morocco came closest to claiming all three points late in the match, but Alisson denied El Aynaoui with an impressive save from a powerful long-range effort. Mohamed Ouahbi, managing the Atlas Lions in a competitive fixture for the first time since taking the role in March, will have been satisfied with his team’s display against one of the tournament favourites.

The result will give Morocco confidence as they prepare to face Scotland, knowing a strong performance could put them in a good position to advance.

For Ancelotti, however, the performance will be a source of disappointment. Brazil struggled for long periods and were outplayed for much of the match, meaning they must improve significantly ahead of their next game against Haiti.