Brazil Stumble, Qatar Make History, Scotland End a 36-Year Wait on World Cup Night Two

World Cup action continued overnight on the tournament’s second day with three major storylines: Brazil were held by Morocco, Qatar rescued a historic point against Switzerland, and Scotland finally won again at a World Cup after 36 years.

At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Brazil opened their campaign under Carlo Ancelotti, his first World Cup match on the touchline, but started nervously. Morocco struck first in the 21st minute when Brahim Diaz fed Ismail Saibari for a surprise lead, and Brazil equalized in the 32nd through a fine solo goal by Vinicius Junior. The game lost its pace after halftime, Brazil struggled to create chances, and even five Ancelotti substitutions did not change the outcome. Neymar, injured and left out of the squad, could return for the second-round match against Haiti in six days. Brazil can still take comfort from a record, as this was their 21st straight World Cup opening match without defeat.

In Santa Clara, Switzerland looked set for a routine win after Breel Embolo converted the first World Cup penalty in the team’s history in the 17th minute. Murat Yakin’s side dominated, outshooting Qatar 26 to 7 on target, but missed too many chances. Deep into stoppage time, in the 94th minute, Boualem Khoukhi equalized to give Qatar its first-ever World Cup point.

In the late match at 4:00 a.m. Israel time, Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 thanks to John McGinn’s early effort that deflected in off a defender. Haiti then controlled much of the game, but Frantzdy Pierrot, the former Maccabi Haifa striker, missed a golden headed chance in the 80th minute. Scotland’s win was its first World Cup victory since 1990, while Haiti were praised for a strong performance that could have earned points.