Has Vinicius Jr brilliance just papered over the Brazilian cracks?

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Stunning Vinicius Jr strike secures Brazil draw with Morocco

Published 14 June 2026, 02:56 BST

"I am not here to be the tournament's best player," Vinicius Jr stated on the day before Brazil's opening World Cup fixture.

"I am here to help Brazil return to the summit."

The exceptionally gifted wielder lived up to his words on the field at the New Jersey New York Stadium.

Down 1-0 to Morocco and appearing distinctly inferior, the five-time world champions found an equaliser thanks to a flash of genius from Vinicius on the grandest platform.

Collecting the ball on the left edge of the box from Bruno Guimaraes' delivery, the Real Madrid forward turned sharply onto his right foot and fired a superb strike into the top corner of the net.

It was a goal worthy of the World Cup, an outstanding display of skill that rescued his side from a deep predicament—and spared Brazil from losing their opening World Cup match for the first time since 1934.

However, they could not secure a victory in their Group C opener, with the contest ending 1-1 following what former England captain Alan Shearer described to BBC Sport as a "disjointed" Brazilian display.

South American football expert Tim Vickery, also speaking to BBC Sport, remarked: "Ideally, you want the team to elevate the stars; here, you have a case of the star rescuing the team."

'We anticipated more from Brazil'

Brazil fans alarmed by this showing should recall that this expanded World Cup—more than any prior edition—is a marathon, not a sprint.

Remember Argentina's loss to Saudi Arabia in their first match in Qatar four years ago—before they went on to claim the world title?

Brazil, chasing their first World Cup triumph since 2002, are still tipped to advance to the knockout phase, with Haiti up next in Philadelphia on 19 June, followed by Scotland in Miami on 24 June.

Nevertheless, there will be unease that they appeared outclassed by Morocco for long stretches, lacking the swagger traditionally associated with a nation that spawned legends like Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Zico.

Yet this squad is overloaded with wingers and short on midfield numbers.

Casemiro, aged 34, showed his age as he laboured in the heat before being substituted at halftime, as Morocco dominated without adding to the lead provided by Ismael Saibari.

Defender Roger Ibanez also failed to reappear for the second half as Carlo Ancelotti sought to rectify the team's deficiencies.

"We were expecting more from them," former Uruguay and Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet told BBC Sport.

"I was shocked at how poor their technical play was today. I don't know if it was the pitch—maybe the pitch didn't help—but they were missing passes, simple passes you'd expect Brazilian players to execute well."

Vickery added: "This is precisely why Brazil are so dangerous. How many teams can play that poorly and still stay in the game? It comes down to individual brilliance."

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Vinicius Jr scores 'lightning bolt' equaliser for Brazil

Ancelotti's first World Cup match ends with apology

At 67 years old, this was Ancelotti's debut as a head coach at a World Cup.

"This is a wonderful moment for me," the five-time Champions League-winning manager said on the eve of the match.

Ultimately, he was compelled to apologise following his team's lacklustre display in the oppressive New Jersey heat.

"I am sorry we did not perform as well as we hoped," the Italian stated in his post-match press conference.

The Italian—the first foreign coach to lead Brazil at a World Cup—was brought in after a poor qualifying campaign that cast serious doubt over Brazil's tournament participation, as the team won only three of its first eight qualifiers.

The five-time world champions eventually qualified, but not before enduring six defeats in 18 matches en route to finishing fifth in the South American qualifying standings.

Their latest uninspired performance will only generate more questions than solutions.

"This is the first match of the World Cup," Ancelotti said. "It wasn't a bad result, but we will keep progressing.

"We have to improve, that is very clear. We need a more balanced team and we must be more aggressive.

"I am not disappointed, but I am not satisfied either. Not everything goes perfectly, and we must accept criticism."

Will Vinicius become Brazil's hero?

Vinicius' goal was a moment of breathtaking brilliance, the kind we have come to expect from this outstanding talent.

Will he push forward and etch his name into Brazilian folklore?

"The expectation was that, by now, he would have become the Selecao's leading figure," said Brazilian football expert Marcus Alves.

"Yet, four years after a penalty shootout exit against Croatia in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, doubts about him linger."

However, there can be no question about the quality of his goal here—his 10th for Brazil, with three of those coming on US soil.

"This is where Vinicius Jr comes into his own," former England goalkeeper Joe Hart told BBC One.

"He was quiet in the game, of course he was, but you cannot criticise players like this on the big stage.

"He cuts inside, smashes it past Bono. What a moment."

Vinicius spoke on Friday about how this represents "the most important time in my life and career".

"I feel great freedom and genuine trust from Ancelotti. He is confident I can do for the national team what I do for Real Madrid," he added.

"I want to try to write the history of the country and the national team. We must do everything to win."

Brazil fell short against Morocco.

Failure at this tournament, after a 24-year title drought, would prompt serious questions about how the most successful team in World Cup history moves forward.