Casemiro was hooked at half-time after a nightmare first-half display as Brazil stumbled to a 1-1 draw with Morocco in their World Cup 2026 opener at the MetLife Stadium in New York.
The 34-year-old Manchester United midfielder, who still has just over two weeks left on his contract at Old Trafford, was among the biggest culprits for a disjointed Brazilian performance. Morocco sliced through the centre of the pitch past Casemiro on the way to opening the scoring, and after 30 minutes only two outfield players had fewer touches than him. He was booked to cap off a wayward opening 45 minutes, and Carlo Ancelotti brutally removed him at the break.
“Casemiro was hauled off at half-time after a horror show as Brazil needed a Vinicius Jr stunner to draw 1-1 with Morocco.”
Social media was ruthless. One viewer wrote online: “Paqueta, Casemiro looking absolutely awful.” Another, riffing on Jamie Carragher’s infamous quote, added: “the football left him, then it came back to him, now it’s left him again today.” A third said: “This is the Amorim Casemiro on full show here.”
Morocco had taken a deserved lead on 21 minutes through Ismael Saibari, punishing a Brazilian midfield that also included Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes. Ancelotti’s side, among the favourites for the tournament, were without Neymar – their all-time top scorer suffered an injury setback before the game – and had been hit by a slew of other injuries: Eder Militao, Rodrygo, and Estevao were all ruled out.
Just before half-time, however, a moment of individual brilliance rescued Brazil. Vinicius Jr collected an imperfect pass from Guimaraes, reset, and curled a laser from the left side of the penalty area into the top right corner of Bono’s net. The stadium erupted with joy and relief. It was the first time Vinicius Jr had scored for Brazil without the match ending in victory – his previous eight goals all helped secure a win.
“It was not easy… they are one of the favourites for the tournament. We drew but we are happy with the performance,” a Morocco star told the host broadcaster. “We still have to improve every game and that is what we are going to be focusing on right now.”
Despite the equaliser, the draw exposed the ongoing struggle for balance in Ancelotti’s side. Morocco – controversially awarded the Afcon title off the pitch this year – showed they are a team to be wary of, aiming to replicate or better their surprise semi-final run from the 2022 World Cup. Brazil must now regroup as they continue their bid for a sixth World Cup crown.