Brazil rescued by Vinicius, but pundits agree Morocco exposed flaws in Ancelotti's side: 'Lot of pressure'

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti did not mince words as he admitted his team was "nervous" in the 1-1 draw against Morocco at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Experts agreed with Ancelotti's assessment in the studio as the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C opener exposed familiar flaws and raised questions on Brazil's ability to win the tournament.

The record five-time champions, Brazil, have not won a World Cup since 2002, but with serial-winner Ancelotti's appointment, the South American giants are hoping for a big turnaround.

Carlo Ancelotti admits Brazil were poor early

The start against 2022 semi-finalists Morocco was far from ideal for the Selecao. The biggest concern was the lack of balance in midfield. Ancelotti's initial 4-2-4 setup left Bruno Guimaraes and the 34-year-old Casemiro covering vast spaces, allowing Morocco's energetic midfield to dominate possession and repeatedly attack through the centre.

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The defensive structure also looked vulnerable. Morocco constantly found gaps between Brazil's midfield and defence, with Brahim Diaz and Ayyoub Bouaddi exploiting the space. The opening goal perfectly highlighted the problem as a simple pass split centre-backs Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes, allowing Ismael Saibari to score. Morocco registered 12 attempts within the opening 30 minutes, underlining how easily they were able to create chances.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule and match results

Brazil also appeared overly reliant on individual brilliance rather than a coherent attacking system. Until Vinicius Junior's stunning equaliser, they struggled to create meaningful opportunities and lacked fluency in the final third. Ancelotti admitted his side were "very unbalanced" in the first half and only improved after switching to a three-man midfield.

"I don't think we started the match well. The team was a bit nervous, we lost possession too often and lost too many challenges. The first half wasn't good," Ancelotti said after the match.

"It improved in the second half; it's a tough match because Morocco are a good side. I think there was a bit of nervousness. In the first half they were breaking out of our press and making dangerous counter-attacks."

Former Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimović echoed the same sentiments in Fox Sports' studio as he felt the Brazilian side was lucky to escape with a draw.

"I don't think he's (Ancelotti) happy with the results," Ibrahimović said. "Obviously, he's a winner. He wants to win the games. But if you look at the game, I think a draw was a fair result. I feel Morocco played better and maybe Brazil had nerves from the first game, a lot of pressure to make a good start."

Football analyst Matteo Bonetti underlined that the Brazilian side lacked cohesiveness and that could prove to be the reason behind their downfall.

"Morocco was the better side for long stretches and never looked remotely intimidated," Bonetti said on Fox. "They out-passed Brazil, pressed them into mistakes."

"For a team this stacked going forward, it was disjointed, slow in the build-up, and far too easy to slice open through the middle. Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti will have plenty to fix tomorrow."

While a draw against Morocco is not disastrous, the match showed that Brazil currently lack control, defensive solidity and tactical cohesion. Unless those issues are fixed, stronger teams later in the tournament could punish them far more severely than Morocco managed to.