Vinicius Jr Strike Earns Brazil a Point Against Morocco

Photo by Debjoy Biswas\Pixel Sports

Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C opener at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, as Vinicius Jr cancelled out Ismael Saibari’s first-half opener.

Brazil began their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Morocco in an exciting Group C clash at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Saturday.

The contest between the five-time world champions and the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists lived up to its billing, with both sides producing moments of real attacking quality.

Morocco stunned Brazil in the 21st minute when Brahim Diaz played a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Ismael Saibari. The Moroccan midfielder timed his run well and calmly lifted the ball over the on-rushing Alisson to give the Atlas Lions a 1-0 lead.

Brazil, however, responded strongly. In the 32nd minute, Bruno Guimaraes found Vinicius Jr on the left side of the penalty area. With very little space available, the Real Madrid winger cut inside and unleashed a powerful right-footed strike that flew past Yassine Bounou to bring Brazil level.

The goal highlighted Vinicius Jr’s individual brilliance and gave Brazil the momentum before half-time. Lucas Paqueta nearly completed the turnaround with an acrobatic effort, but Bounou produced a sharp save to keep the score level.

Morocco continued to remain compact and dangerous on the break, while Brazil pushed for a winner in the second half. Vinicius Jr again created a good opening after cutting the ball back for Raphinha, but Bounou was well-positioned to deny the chance.

Late in added time, Morocco almost snatched all three points when Neil El Aynaoui tested Alisson from long range. The Brazilian goalkeeper reacted quickly to block the effort and then smothered Ayoube Amaimouni’s follow-up.

The result means both Brazil and Morocco begin their Group C campaigns with a point each. Scotland lead the group after their opening win over Haiti, while Brazil will know they need to improve in their next fixture to strengthen their position.

For Vinicius Jr, the goal was personally significant but came with a rare outcome. It was the first match in which he scored for Brazil that did not end in victory for the Seleção, after his previous eight scoring appearances had all resulted in wins.