Vinicius Junior helps Brazil rally for opening draw vs. Morocco

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Vinicius Junior scored his first goal of this World Cup and helped Brazil salvage a 1-1 draw against Morocco following a rocky start to their Group C opener on Saturday evening.

The 25-year-old's thunderously struck leveler in the 32nd minute countered Ismael Saibari's slickly taken opener 11 minutes earlier for a Morocco side seeking another historic result to follow their 2022 semifinal run.

The North Africans bossed the five-time World Cup champs for the opening half-hour. But the South Americans shaded the second 45 minutes after manager Carlo Ancelotti swapped out Casemiro and Roger Ibanez for Fabinho and Danilo at the interval.

In the end, both teams were probably satisfied with the point before a star-studded crowd that included former NFL star Tom Brady, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and 2002 Brazilian World Cup winners Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.

Each will be favored in remaining group matches against Scotland and Haiti, who play later Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., to open their Group C campaigns.

Having called this tournament "the most important time in my life and in my career" on Friday, Vinicius Jr. played like it, at the center of nearly everything the Brazilians did well going forward.

That included a precious equalizer that came against the run of play.

From the left side of the penalty area, the Real Madrid star played a quick 1-2 with Bruno Guimaraes, cut in on his right foot against the defending Neil El Aynaoui, and then from just beyond the corner of the 6-yard box, unleashed a powerful right-footed strike that left lunging goalkeeper Yassine Bounou little chance.

Morocco started brightly, then went in front just as it appeared Brazil might have weathered the early onslaught.

With his back to goal, Brahim Diaz took a pass at midfield, turned and immediately fed it forward to Saibari as he surged on a run at the space between Brazil's center and right backs.

The PSV Eindhoven attacker reached it and chipped the charging Alisson with his first touch for a superb first career World Cup goal.

Bounou made four saves, including one on a Danilo Santos shot right at him in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. Alisson finished with two saves, including a point-blank stop in the ninth minute of stoppage time to keep the game level.

--Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media