18y0 African Starlet Shines As Morocco Deny…

(Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

Morocco started their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against five-time winners Brazil on Sunday morning.

Fixture: Brazil v Morocco
Score: 1-1
Goalscorers: Vinicius (32′) / (Saibari 20′)

Selecao coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to give striker Igor Thiago his competitive debut ahead of Matheus Cunha, while the Atlas Lions handed 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi his first competitive start after switching his international allegiance from France last month.

The Moroccans surprisingly controlled possession from the early stages of the first half, with the young Bouaddi showing a lot of confidence to get on the ball, although the Brazil defence were not troubled in the opening 15 minutes.

The Atlas Lions made their dominance count on 20 minutes when Brahim Diaz showed quick-thinking to release Ismael Saibari through on goal, with the 20-year-old striker showing the composure to lob the on-rushing Alisson Becker.

The Brazilians weren’t behind for too long as Vinicius, who was making his 50th appearance for the national side, showed his class by skipping past one challenge in the box before sending a powerful shot into the top corner.

Selecao were getting overrun by Morocco in the middle of the park, which forced Ancelotti to make a couple changes at the halftime break as Casemiro was withdrawn after a disappointing first stanza and replaced by Fabinho, while Danilo replaced Ibanez at full-back.

Ancelotti made a few more changes as the second half went on, with Manchester United star Matheus Cunha replacing the ineffective Thiago, which paid off for the South Americans as the substitute wasted no time in getting on the ball to help carve out chances.

However, Brazil’s big stars were not able to come to the party in the latter stages, most notably Raphinha who had no big impact down the left flank compared to Vinicius on the other flank as Ancelotti had to watch his side settle for a share of the spoils after a disappointing 90 minutes in New Jersey.

Key Performer:

Bouaddi looked like a seasoned campaigner on his competitive debut for Morocco at the age 18. The midfielder was in the thick of things from the onset, as he showed his composure on the ball while also making his presence felt off the ball.

Next Fixtures:

Brazil: Haiti, Scotland

Morocco: Scotland, Haiti

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