Published on 6/14/2026
The Brazilian press launched a harsh attack on Italian Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the Seleção, after the lackluster performance of the midfielders against Morocco in the two teams’ first matches in the 2026 World Cup finals, specifically in the first half.
The Moroccan national team imposed a 1-1 draw on Brazil in the match that took place in New York/New Jersey, in which the Atlas Lions dominated the midfield and launched many dangerous attacks, which were enough to give the team a historic victory.
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In contrast to the Brazilian performance that was shocking to its supporters, the media was not kind to its national team, as it appeared without ideas and without form, and the players did not provide any reassuring indicators that dispel the doubts surrounding their ability to compete for the title.
The Brazilian website “Itatiaia” issued a warning saying, “Brazil is approaching disaster.”
As for Brazilian journalist Fernando Callas from the Brazilian network “G Globo” (ge.globo), he confirmed that he witnessed what he described as “the worst 45 minutes since the historic 1-7 defeat against Germany in the World Cup in 2014.”
“Roger Ibanez, Igor Thiago, and Casemiro were disastrous,” he said, then asked, “Does Rafinha really deserve this status as an untouchable player?”
The bulk of the criticism was directed at the duo Ibanez, the Saudi Al-Ahly player, and Gabriel Magalhaes, the Arsenal defender, who were among the players who appeared most substandard.
Ibañez received a rating of 4.5 out of 10 according to the evaluation of the editorial board of the “Globo” network, and a rating of 2.9 out of 10 by the pioneers of social networking sites in Brazil, which is a harsh evaluation for a player who originally occupies the position of central defense and participated against Morocco in the position of full-back, according to the opinion of the French network “RMC Sport” (rmcsport).
The Brazilian press did not forget to strongly criticize the choices of veteran coach Ancelotti, which journalist Gary De Jesus described as bad. Not only did he do so, but he saw that he failed his first test.
De Jesus said, “I can tell you that the honeymoon is over. Before this match, there was a glimmer of hope, and public opinion supported it, but now everyone has collided with reality.”
He added, “Ancelotti failed his first big test, and his choices have become subject to criticism, especially at the full-back level. The first thirty minutes were very painful.”
He continued, “I heard people saying that it was worthy of the Paraguay national team, and that Morocco was Brazil on the field. As for the midfield, the situation was like the sinking of the Titanic.”
Ancelotti, who downplayed the importance of Brazil not winning the first match of the 2026 World Cup, must show a completely different face to the Brazilian national team in its next match against Haiti, scheduled for next Saturday in Philadelphia.
