Morocco and the Brazilian team in World Cups; see five curiosities
Brazil's opponent in the debut of the World Cup, Morocco is the protagonist of some interesting facts about the Brazilian team. From being a historic rival of Pelé to the first game of the current World Cup cycle, the Moroccans have always been on the path to the green and yellow jersey on football's biggest stage.
The two countries face each other this Saturday (13), at 7pm (Brasília time), at the Metlife Stadium, in New Jersey, in the first round of Group C of the World Cup.
The curiosities that link Morocco to the Brazilian team
1. Pelé's rival
Pelé's great international rival in his first World Cup, in 1958, in Sweden, was a Moroccan. Just Fontaine, who was born in Marrakech, on August 13, 1933. As Morocco was a French colony, he played for Le Blues and set the record for the most goals in one edition of the tournament, finding the net 13 times on Swedish pitches.
2. Ronaldo's first victim
On June 16, 1998, Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Morocco, in a 3-0 victory in Nantes, in the second round of Group A.
3. Brazil 'disturbs' Morocco with setback
Brazil reached the last round of Group A of the French Cup, in 1998, already classified in the round of 16. In any case, against Norway, in Marseille, they had an unbeaten record of 23 games in group stages of the World Cup, with 20 wins and three draws, in a sequence that began in 1970, in Mexico.
The Seleção took the lead, with a goal from Bebeto in the 33rd minute of the second half, a result that combined with the 3-0 victory that Morocco had over Scotland, classified the Moroccans in the round of 16.
But the Norwegians turned things around in the final stretch of the match, with goals from Tore Andre Flo, in the 38th minute, and Rekdal, in the 43rd minute of the final stage, taking a penalty committed by Junior Baiano. This result eliminated Morocco.
4. Start of the current cycle
The Brazilian team's first game in the 2022-2026 cycle was against Morocco, on March 25, 2023, in Tangier. Still without a coach, as Tite left his position after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Cup, Brazil was led on an interim basis by Ramón Menezes and lost 2-1.
5. First game after Pelé
The friendly on March 25, 2023, when Brazil lost to Morocco 2-1, in Tangier, was the first for the Seleção after Pelé's death, on December 29, 2022. Therefore, all the players entered the field wearing shirts that had the name of the King of Football on the back.
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Source: CNN