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Brazil’s 2026 World Cup journey began on a disappointing note as the Selecao were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Morocco at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Though Vinicius Jr found the back of the net, post-match discussions centred on the defensive errors and lack of midfield control that troubled Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

England legend Alan Shearer was particularly critical of Arsenal defender Gabriel, who endured a tough World Cup debut. The centre-back appeared off the pace and was caught out of position several times. In the 21st minute, a mix-up between Gabriel, Marquinhos, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker gifted Morocco the opener, with Ismael Saibari calmly chipping the ball into the net from outside the box.

Speaking during BBC’s broadcast, Shearer was forthright in his analysis of Brazil’s defence. “He’s looked shaky, Gabriel, today,” Shearer commented. “On two or three occasions, the ball has gone out and I thought he could’ve attacked it and he didn’t. He’s been slow. Certainly with the goal in the first half, the gap between him and Marquinhos was huge.”

The midfield also failed to escape criticism. Former Liverpool and Brazil midfielder Lucas Leiva expressed concern over the team’s structure, noting that Casemiro struggled to impose himself. The veteran midfielder was substituted at half-time after a tough first half that exposed Brazil’s lack of balance in the middle of the park.

“Before the game we spoke about balance; Brazil never looked in control in the middle, Casemiro struggled a little bit and that’s why he got taken out at half-time,” Lucas told CBS Sports. “Offensively, Brazil never looked dangerous, they didn’t create as much as we could’ve imagined. Overall it wasn’t a good performance, the balance of the team wasn’t right.”

Manager Carlo Ancelotti was candid in his post-match reflections, acknowledging that nerves played a part in Brazil’s underwhelming display. The Italian tactician saw his side concede early before Vinicius Jr equalised with a moment of individual quality late in the first half.

“I think we didn’t start the game well, the team was a bit worried, we lost a lot of balls, a lot of duels. The first half wasn’t good. It improved in the second half; it’s a difficult game because Morocco is a good team. A little anxiety, I think so. In the first stage, they [Morocco] would escape the pressure and make dangerous transitions. We could have had more control,” Ancelotti admitted.

Looking ahead, Brazil now face mounting pressure to recover in Group C after Scotland’s victory elsewhere. The Selecao must regroup quickly ahead of their next World Cup fixture against Haiti on June 19 in Philadelphia. Anything less than a convincing win will only intensify scrutiny on Ancelotti’s leadership. Meanwhile, Morocco will take on Scotland in Foxborough on the same day as they aim to replicate their impressive run from four years ago.

The question remains: how far can Brazil go in this World Cup?