Ancelotti’s Selection Calls Draw Fire as Morocco Hold Brazil 1-1

Brazil and Morocco played to a 1-1 draw in San Francisco in a match that lived up to its billing as one of the standout games of the group stage. The result reflected the action on the pitch, but Morocco left feeling it had missed a major chance to beat one of world football’s powers.

The article, written after the game by Walla’s World Cup correspondent, criticizes Carlo Ancelotti’s pre-match decisions. Mateo Cunha, who finished the season in strong form at Manchester United, was left out of Brazil’s lineup in favor of Lucas Paqueta, who returned in January to Brazil’s domestic league. The writer calls that a hard-to-understand choice. He also points to the absence of Chelsea striker Joao Pedro from Brazil’s World Cup squad, describing it as one of the tournament’s biggest surprises and arguing he should not only have been selected, but also started.

Morocco, meanwhile, was praised as the same ambitious, well-drilled side that reached the 2022 World Cup semifinals in Qatar. Coach Mohamed Wahbi has reshaped the squad over the past few months, leaving out veterans such as Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri, removing Ayoub El Kaabi, the top scorer in the Greek league, from the lineup, and promoting younger players. The move worked, at least for now. Morocco controlled midfield early, pressed harder, looked more organized and more confident, and was led by 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Morocco took a deserved lead in the 21st minute when Brahim Diaz delivered a fine through ball to Youssef Sabarri, who timed his run well, beat Gabriel and Marquinhos, and finished calmly past Alisson. Brazil equalized through Vinicius Junior, who beat his marker on the left, cut inside, and fired into the far corner. Raphinha, by contrast, was ineffective and failed to influence the game.

Ancelotti tried to raise Brazil’s level with substitutions after halftime, and the team improved somewhat, but it never imposed itself the way expected. Morocco remained dangerous and, in many passages, looked like the better side. The 1-1 leaves the group wide open and reinforces the message that Morocco is no one-off surprise from Qatar 2022, but a deep, disciplined team capable of standing toe to toe with Brazil.