Published on 6/14/2026
Reactions in the camps of the Brazilian and Moroccan teams were unanimous in their need to “continue working and developing,” following the exciting opening confrontation that brought them together at “MetLife” Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the first round of Group C of the 2026 World Cup, which ended in a positive draw (1-1).
The Moroccan national team surprised Samba with a goal through Ismail Saibari in the 21st minute after a typical counterattack, before star Vinicius Junior equalized for Brazil in the 32nd minute.
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Vinicius heartbreak
The scorer of Brazil’s goal, Vinicius Junior, expressed his regret for losing the victory, stressing that the opening matches in the World Cup are always complicated.
The Real Madrid star added: “We conceded a goal from a counterattack and we have to improve. We must keep the ball more and control the pattern of play because the opponents rely on organized defense and quick rebounds. We do not have much to say now, but we have to act immediately because facing Haiti next Friday is very close.”
For his part, Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti agreed to introduce his star, admitting that Samba did not perform well in the first half, but the performance improved in the second half of the match, summarizing the situation with the phrase: “The match was competitive and full of conflict, and we must improve.”
Hakimi.. We faced a candidate for the title and the draw was historic
On the other hand, the leader of the “Atlas Lions”, Achraf Hakimi, stressed the importance of the result without being overly optimistic, explaining in brief statements after the match:
“The confrontation was not easy at all; we faced one of the most prominent teams nominated to win the World Cup. We still have to improve from one match to the next, and we will focus on learning from tonight’s mistakes and retaining the positives before facing Scotland next.”
This draw is considered historic by all standards, as it is the first draw for Morocco against Brazil in the history of their official and friendly confrontations (after two wins for Brazil and one win for Morocco previously), and it is also the eighth tie for the Moroccans in the history of their World Cup participations.
