What went right and what went wrong in the Brazilian team's debut at the World Cup

Brazil began its campaign in the 2026 World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Morocco. After the result, Carlo Ancelotti's men return to the pitch next Friday (19), to face Haiti.

In search of the sixth championship and the first title in 24 years, the Brazilian team faced a great challenge in its debut at the World Cup. The Moroccans finished fourth in the last edition of the tournament and are currently in seventh place in the FIFA rankings.

What went wrong for Brazil
The match started difficult for the Brazilians, who saw Morocco dominate the actions in midfield. The trio of Neil El Aynaoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Azzedine Ounahi put pressure on the opponent's ball and didn't let Brazil breathe on the field.

Raphinha found it very difficult to create from the center of the attack, especially when receiving with his back to the defense. Another one who had trouble with the Moroccan pressure was Lucas Paquetá, who was weak in the duels and ended up missing some passes in the first half.

Igor Thiago did not take advantage of the opportunity as a starter. The center forward who plays for Brentford, in England, did not fit into the scheme set up for the first match of the World Cup and had only 16 actions with the ball, according to the "Sofascore" platform. In the only chance he had, he ended up missing a header almost in the small area.

What worked for Brazil
Amid the complicated confrontation, Vinicius Júnior took the lead in the team. In a beautiful individual play, the Real Madrid striker scored a great goal to tie the match in New Jersey. He was also the one who gave the most dynamism and speed to the offensive sector, creating the best chances for the team.

One player who performed confidently was left-back Douglas Santos. He was responsible for marking Brahim Díaz, one of the opponent's best midfielders, and showed a good performance in the tackles.

At half-time, Carlo Ancelotti made two changes: Ibañez and Casemiro, who were yellow, made way for Danilo and Fabinho. After the changes, Brazil began to play more calmly, no longer suffering from Moroccan attacks.

Fabinho, in fact, was important in defensive clashes, in stealing the ball in the attacking field and even in killing foul plays when necessary.

See the ranking of the most valuable squads of the World Cup

Source: CNN