The Brazilian team had already drawn in the opening games of the 1974, 1978 and 2018 World Cups, but the match on Saturday (13), against Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw, in New Jersey, left the fans with the impression that it could have been much worse: the fear of defeat surrounded the match throughout.
Coach Ancelotti cited the anxiety caused by the debut and acknowledged that the team disappointed. Incredible as it may seem, Morocco gave the Italian commander a tactical noose. In addition to the organization on the field, the Africans counted on Bouaddi’s brilliance. At 18, he brought panic to disorganized Brazil.
Ancelotti started the match with Ibañez on the right flank, and the choice proved tragic. Ismael Saibari’s goal was the result of indecisive defending and, for me, Alisson could not have left the goal like that. Vinícius Jr. had a flash of genius and rocked the opponent’s net in the first half.
The Brazilian team coach was not happy and made changes in the second half. He took off Casemiro, who had received a yellow card and was not well, and brought on Ibañez to bring on Fabinho and Danilo (full-back) at half-time. Afterwards, Luiz Henrique, Matheus Cunha and Danilo Santos took the places of Igor Thiago, Paquetá and Bruno Guimarães. Endrick, acclaimed by the fans, was not used.
Brazil improved in the second stage, it is true, but they were unable to turn the score around. The result could have been worse.
The curious thing is that Ancelotti declared before the World Cup that current football is no longer resolved by individuality, but by the group. In this Saturday’s match, the team rarely worked, and what guaranteed the score of 1 to 1 was precisely Vini’s individuality.
Brazil returns to the field on Friday against Haiti, who lost in their debut to Scotland 1-0.
The Brazilian team played little, and there is a long way to go to reach the ideal team.
