Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco was less about the scoreline than the reaction it prompted. Casemiro was taken off at half-time after 46 minutes, Gabriel played the full 90, and the opening hour of Brazil vs Morocco turned into a critique of Brazil's control.

Why the criticism landed so quickly

Alan Shearer said of Gabriel: "He's looked shaky, Gabriel, today. 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 opening goal came in the 21st minute, when Ismael Saibari scored after confusion between Gabriel, Marquinhos and Alisson Becker. Brazil levelled through Vinícius Júnior in the 32nd minute after Bruno Guimarães' assist, but the stronger takeaway was still the same: Brazil had already looked shaky at the back.

Casemiro's numbers made the case even harder to ignore. He lasted 46 minutes, finished with a 6.23 rating and picked up one booking before being withdrawn.

Brazil's midfield never settled

Lucas Leiva was just as blunt. "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. 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."

Carlo Ancelotti backed that up in simpler terms, saying Brazil did not start well, were "a bit worried", lost "a lot of balls" and "a lot of duels". He also said the first half "wasn't good" and that the team could have had more control.

Brazil lined up in a 4-2-3-1, but the shape did not translate into stability. That is the part that should concern Brazil more than the draw itself. A team can live with a 1-1 opener. It cannot afford to look this open through the middle and this uncertain when the game begins.

Brazil and Morocco finished 1-1 on 13 June 2026, and the noise afterwards was all about Casemiro, Gabriel and whether Brazil's senior spine is ready for a sterner test next time out.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →