Pakistan, June 15 -- Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in the first heavyweight clash of the World Cup on Saturday, with the African side confirming their potential while exposing familiar weaknesses in their opponents at a sold out New York/New Jersey stadium.

Ismael Saibari gave Morocco a deserved first-half lead before Vinicius Jr produced a moment of brilliance to restore parity, ensuring the points were shared in the opening Group C match. The result leaves the group finely balanced ahead of Haiti's meeting with Scotland later on Saturday in the other group fixture. For Morocco, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup, the performance offered further evidence they can challenge the game's traditional powers.

However, Carlo Ance...