‘FIFA WC 2026: ‘I wasn’t 100 percent at my best…’, says Vinicius after Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco

Despite marking his 50th international cap with a brilliant equalizer in Brazil's 1-1 World Cup draw against Morocco, forward Vinicius Junior critically assessed his performance, admitting he wasn't at his technical best and promising immediate attacking improvements

New Jersey:  After scoring his 10th goal for Brazil in his 50th appearance for the Selecao during the 1-1 draw with Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match, Vinicius Junior admitted that he “wasn’t 100 percent at his best” but will improve to help Brazil more in attack.

Vinicius and Ismael Saibari scored outstanding goals for Brazil and Morocco as two of the expected FIFA World Cup 2026 heavyweights traded blows in New York. This was the first match in which Vinicius has scored not ending in victory for the Selecao. The previous eight occasions all helped secure a win.

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“I believe I can improve a lot. I managed to score, but I wasn’t 100 percent at my best technically,” Vinicius said after receiving the man of the match award. “I can improve that and help Brazil more in attack. I was able to help a lot defensively, where everyone did an impeccable job. We need to improve and keep developing if we want to win the competition.”

Morocco struck first through a superbly constructed and executed Ismael Saibari goal in the 21st minute before Brazil bounced back through Vinicius Junior’s moment of magic in the 32nd minute.

“The pressure of the opening game makes it the most difficult match of the tournament. We had to adapt as quickly as possible because we conceded very early. We completely changed the way we were playing.

“We knew it would be complicated because it was an opening match against a team that has been playing together for a long time. They have shown that they have real quality. Now we have to make sure that we come back stronger,” he added.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team now shifts its efforts to the match against Haiti on Saturday (IST) at Lincoln Financial Field stadium in Philadelphia, United States.