Morocco Made Surprise Opening, Vinicius Equalised: First Half 1-1

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group C opening match, Brazil and Morocco faced each other at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and the first half ended 1-1. The first 45 minutes of the match, officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, was the scene of a balanced battle in which Morocco took the lead in the 21st minute and Brazil caught the equaliser with Vinicius Junior's goal in the 32nd minute.

In the opening minutes of the match, both teams made a cautious start. In the 21st minute, Morocco took the lead unexpectedly. Ilias Saibari, who controlled the ball at the end of the attack made by Brahim Diaz inside the penalty area, blasted Brazil's net and gave the Atlas Lions a 1-0 advantage. The goal was an unexpected shock at the World Cup opening for the Seleção under Carlo Ancelotti's management. In the 32nd minute, Brazil gave the answer. Vinicius Junior, who evaluated one of Bruno Guimaraes' effective passes in the attacking line, recorded his team's equaliser and brought the score to 1-1.

In the later minutes of the first half, the game began to harden. In the 37th minute, Brazil's experienced midfielder Casemiro received a yellow card for tripping. In the 43rd minute, another Brazilian player Roger Ibanez was also exposed to a yellow card for the same reason. In the stoppage time of the first half, Brazil caught a dangerous corner position. In the 45+3, captain Marquinhos rose with a header to the ball sent by Raphinha from the corner to the middle of the penalty area, but his shot went out next to the left post. In the same minute, Raphinha took another corner; the cross was cleared by Morocco's defence. In the 45+5, referee Vincic blew the whistle and completed the first 45 minutes.

The first half statistics revealed Morocco's standout performance. In expected goals (xG) value, Morocco produced 1.22 and Brazil 0.85; while the possession rate was 54% to 46% in favour of Brazil, this rate was also close. In total shots, Morocco established great superiority with 12 against Brazil's 6 shots. In big chances, both teams produced 1. In the category of touches in the opposition penalty area, Morocco recorded 11 and Brazil 9. The statistics show that Morocco under Mohamed Ouahbi's management managed to spread the game on the pitch against Brazil in the first half and also showed good performance in goal efficiency. In Ancelotti's first World Cup match with the Brazil national team, it was stated that the contribution of Igor Thiago in the forward line or Matheus Cunha in the substitute dressing room would carry critical importance in the second half. In the match where Neymar did not take part due to injury, Vinicius Junior stands out as Brazil's star name.

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