Brazil fought back from an early deficit to hold Morocco to a 1-1 scoreline at halftime in their opening Group C match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at New York/New Jersey Stadium on Sunday.
Morocco made the brighter start and looked comfortable in possession during the opening stages, pinning Brazil deep inside their own half with aggressive pressing and quick passing combinations. Walid Regragui’s side nearly found an early breakthrough in the seventh minute when Noussair Mazraoui delivered a dangerous cross from the left after beating Roger Ibanez. Neil El Aynaoui met the delivery inside the penalty area, but Bruno Guimaraes reacted quickly to block the effort.
Brazil gradually settled into the contest and began threatening on the counterattack. One of their first clear opportunities arrived in the 14th minute when Igor Thiago rose to meet a cross from Vinicius Jr., who had burst down the right flank. However, the striker’s header drifted wide of the target.
Morocco’s persistence was rewarded midway through the first half. In the 21st minute, Brahim Diaz threaded a perfectly weighted through ball behind Brazil’s defense for Ismael Saibari. Racing clear of two defenders, Saibari noticed goalkeeper Alisson Becker rushing off his line and calmly lifted a delicate chip into the net to give the Atlas Lions a deserved 1-0 advantage.
The opening goal further boosted Morocco’s confidence as they continued to press forward in search of a second, forcing Brazil to defend with urgency during several dangerous attacking sequences.
Brazil, however, responded with the quality expected from the five-time world champions. In the 32nd minute, Vinicius Jr. produced a moment of individual brilliance to restore parity, finishing clinically after a swift attacking move to beat the Moroccan goalkeeper and make it 1-1.
The equalizer shifted momentum before the break and ensured both teams headed into halftime level, leaving Group C’s opening fixture finely balanced with everything still to play for in the second half.
