Brazil 1-1 Morocco – World Cup result as Vinicius Junior's superb strike ensures points shared in Group C opener

Top 10-ranked contenders went head-to-head in the opening clash in Group C, as Brazil and Morocco battled to a 1-1 draw at the New York New Jersey Stadium.

More than 80,000 fans packed into the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets and, despite two outstanding strikes in the first half, neither Brazil nor Morocco were able to get lift-off as the match petered out into a score draw.

Morocco started the match by far the livelier of the two sides, with Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi the outstanding player on the pitch as he broke up play and drove forward to start attacks from his deep-lying midfield role.

And with Bouaddi surrounded by players blessed with pace and energy, the African champions forced the five-time champions onto the back foot for long spells during the first half.

That pressure eventually turned into a goal on 21 minutes when a perfectly-weighted through-ball from Brahim Diaz put Ismael Saibari through on goal, and the PSV Eindhoven man finished beautifully with a first-time chip over the onrushing Alisson in the Brazil goal.

With Brazil struggling to get a grip on the game, Morocco continued to push forward in search of a second goal, but a moment of brilliance from Vinicius Junior gave Brazil a crucial equaliser.

The Real Madrid winger cut inside from the left flank, stepped inside two defenders, then fired powerfully past Yassine Bounou in the Morocco goal and into the top corner.

With Brazil back in the game, the action became much more balanced, and as the pace slowed in the second half, both managers threw on a plethora of substitutes in a bid to change the game.

But, despite a couple of half-chances for both sides, the match ended up petering out to a draw that, on reflection, both sides will probably be content with.

With their remaining two games both coming against Haiti and Scotland, the two highly-ranked sides will still fancy their chances of progression from Group C as group winners.

After 21 minutes, Brazil looked to be in big trouble. They were a goal down, and looking in real danger of conceding a second, but Vinicius Junior's sublime strike ensured they took a point from the game and, on reflection, both sides will probably be happy enough with that result.

Given the landscape of the group, with the other two sides, Scotland and Haiti set to face off later tonight, neither Brazil nor Morocco could afford to start their campaign with a defeat, and run the risk of potentially having to qualify as a third-place finisher. So, in the final moments of the game, it wasn't hugely surprising to see the pace slow significantly.

The two sides now know their finishing position in the group will hinge on how well they fare in their remaining two games against teams they'll be expected to beat. But they'll head into those matches knowing they're on level terms with each other, and still in with a chance of winning the group.

The first half was pulsating, the second half was a little less so, but both sides will be content with a point after a match where both teams had chances to win it, but didn't have the quality to make their chances count.

El Aynaoui hits a low shot from all of 30 yards that bounces horribly in front of Alisson, but the Brazilian keeper makes the save.

The loose ball almost falls for Rahimi on the follow-up, but the big keeper bounces back up to make a huge second stop and keep the scores level.

Brazil are piling on the pressure, but Morocco are holding on well.

Danilo finds space in the penalty area, and hits the target with a low effort, but Bounou saves well to keep the score level.

Raphinha sneaks in behind the Morocco defence, but rather than taking on the shot from the angle, he turns away from goal and tries a cross instead. The ball doesn't find a teammate, and Morocco manage to clear.

Brazil are applying late pressure in a bid to snatch a last-gasp winner, and Morocco have everyone back to defend.

There will be 10 MINUTES OF ADDITIONAL TIME at the end of this match.

A short backpass from Diop forced Bounou to charge out of his goal to clear ahead of Raphinha, who collides with the goalkeeper's right shoulder as he attempts to get to the ball first.

Replays show there was certainly contact made, but it looks like the Moroccan stopper will be OK to continue.

Moments after Morocco see a cross flash across the face of the Brazil goal, Brazil counter through Vinicius Jr, whose cross is met by a first-time Raphina effort. However, the striker doesn't catch it cleanly and the effort rolls straight at Bounou, who appears to have picked up an ankle injury making that routine save.

The second half hydration break has seen some feverish work in both dugouts as both sets of coaches try to inspire their charges to go out and claim a potentially match-winning second goal.

It's a much more even contest now, and the match is hanging in the balance. Brazil have more firepower on the field, while Morocco have added fresh legs to their lineup, too.

Who will have the edge in the final 20 minutes?

Fabinho has made an instant improvement to Brazil's midfield since his arrival at the start of the second half, but he's taken a nasty whack to the face and his nose is bleeding profusely.

He's on the sidelines getting his nose attended to, but it seems they're having trouble getting the bleeding to stop. Meanwhile, Brazil have to continue with 10 men.

Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has completely refreshed his side with two more subs.

The ineffective Thiago is replaced by Manchester United's Matheus Cunha, while Paqueta is withdrawn for Zenit St. Petersburg's Luiz Henrique.