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Vinicius Junior scored a stunner as Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw with enterprising Morocco in their Group C opener.In the slightly more forgiving temperatures of New York, Morocco got off to a blistering start when Brahim Diaz picked up a loose ball in midfield to thread a perfect pass between two of the best centre-backs in world football - Gabriel and Marquinhos - towards Ismael Saibari.The midfielder collected, settled his nerve, and stood up Alisson before dinking the ball over him. It was a real show of composure and class from World Cup 2022's surprise package - still the most successful African nation in the history of the tournament.But Brazil's brilliance is rarely outshone; their squad so overcrowded with difference-makers. Vinicius Junior was the one to stand up to the pressure on this occasion, as the wondrous winger exchanged passes with Bruno Guimaraes and cut inside to shape a lovely strike into the top corner against the run of play.This is the first game in which Vinicius Jr has scored for Brazil which has not ended in victory. The previous eight occasions all helped secure a win.Brazil, so often dubbed a team of individuals, needed one of their most talented to dig them out of a hole against a side who appeared more complete overall. Morocco were full of beans in the first period and then showed their steel by digging in in the second. They have every chance of going far if such balance can be maintained.Brazil and Morocco are the only top 10 teams to meet in the first round of the expanded 48-nation tournament, and on evidence here, there will not be much to separate them when all is said and done. Scotland will hope to take advantage of the points dropped against Haiti later on Sunday.21: GOAL! Brahim Diaz picked up a loose ball in midfield and found Saibiri on the move, who lobbed Alisson.26: Achraf Hakimi hammered a low shot wide as Morocco pressurised.32: GOAL! Vinicius Jnr cut inside and bent a wonderful equaliser in top corner against run of play.45+2: Lucas Paqueta tested Yassine Bounou with an acrobatic low effort.53: Thiago tried his luck from range but saw his fierce strike beaten away by Bounou.84: Bounou got Issa Diop out of a sticky situation by racing off his line to clear away from Raphinha.90+8: Double save needed from Alisson late on after Neil El Aynaoui's effort from range and Ayoube Amaimouni's follow-up.Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti to FIFA:"I think we didn't start very well, I'm a little worried. We lost a lot of duels and possession, but we improved in the second half of a difficult match, because Morocco is a good team."In the first half, we had difficulty getting out of the pressure, we could have had more control."[Was I] Satisfied? Not really. I expected a better start. But things can happen. Now I'm going to focus on the next game."If there was one aspect of Brazil's performance that would have concerned Carlo Ancelotti, it was what happened whenever they lost possession, especially in the first half.On paper, the midfield trio of Casemiro, Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes looks like it should provide the perfect blend of control, energy and technical quality. In reality, the distances between them were far too large in the first half and Morocco repeatedly drove through the spaces that opened up as a result.Time after time, Brazil's midfield line was bypassed with simple forward passes, leaving the back four exposed and forced into uncomfortable one-v-one situations. The numbers tell the story. Morocco registered 12 shots before the break and could easily have had more reward for their aggressive approach.Casemiro often found himself isolated in front of the defence, while Paqueta and Guimaraes were caught between pressing forward and protecting the space behind them.Brazil did improve after the interval. Casemiro's withdrawal at half-time altered the dynamic slightly, yet the reduction in Morocco's threat felt as much a consequence of the North Africans running out of steam after their intense first-half pressing as it did any dramatic tactical fix from Brazil.Against stronger opposition at the World Cup, leaving the defence that exposed will leave Brazil very vulnerable.Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi to FOX Sports:"It was not easy... they are one of the favourites for the tournament. We drew but we are happy with the performance."We still have to improve every game and that is what we are going to be focusing on right now. We have to keep going. We have to keep the positives and learn from the mistakes."

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Scotland's first World Cup game since 1998 - which you can follow here - is under way.You can rate both sets of players out of 10 below and come back 30 minutes after full-time to see the final ratings.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off 9pm EST/2am BST/11am AEST⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | ">Email TomPre-match postbag. “I confess I was a wee bit worried after the first 10 minutes of the Brazil v Morocco game, because they were running about jolly quickly and firing balls into the net with great panache. The longer it’s gone on though the more confident I feel. I suspect we’ll confuse them by playing what they might think is a different sport” – Scott Blair“I’m English and living down under in Melbourne. We are actually getting a whole bunch of games at reasonable times as we normally have to watch intentional games at 2am. I’m enjoying tea and toast over breakfast games and looking forward to hearing the Scots belt out Flower of Scotland, always a spine tingling experience, even for and Englishman.” – Simon Dobson Continue reading...

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So it turns out that Carlo Ancelotti is no miracle worker. After watching his side fall behind to Ismael Saibari’s brilliant opening goal, the Brazil manager needed a big favour from Vinícius Júnior to ensure the five-time World Cup winners’ first match of the 2026 edition did not end in an embarrassing defeat.For large portions of an absorbing first half that hopefully set the tone for the rest of the tournament, Brazil found themselves chasing shadows as Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães struggled to contain a Morocco midfield anchored by the outstanding teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi. But after Times Square was transformed into a tapestry of yellow and red shirts on Friday night as both sets of fans warmed up for one of the most anticipated matches of the group stages, it was the Real Madrid forward who has been heavily criticised for failing to produce his club form on the international stage who gave the Brazil supporters something to celebrate.It was only the 25-year-old’s 10th goal for the Seleção on his 50th appearance and with Neymar still sidelined with a calf injury after his surprise recall, Ancelotti will know that any chance of winning a sixth title will rely on him. While they still possess undoubted quality, Brazil are badly lacking in some positions. Morocco – who became the first African side to reach the semi-finals in 2022 and look capable of going deep into the tournament again – were ruthless in exploiting those weaknesses and they almost won it at the death after a mistake from Alisson. Brazil at least improved in the second half after a few tactical tweaks from Ancelotti, although the Italian clearly has plenty of work to do if his team are to be real contenders.Mohamed Ouahbi was appointed to replace Walid Regragui as Morocco head coach in March after winning the Under-20 World Cup last year and he promised more of the same from his side after their success in Qatar. Bouaddi was handed only his fourth senior cap in midfield only a few weeks after opting to play for the Atlas Lions over France and looks set to be a star of the future after an assured display way beyond his 18 years.Astonishingly, more than 90 players have been called up by Brazil since they were knocked out of the last World Cup in Qatar, even if Ancelotti has been much more consistent in his selection since taking over last year. But his decision to deploy Roger Ibañez at right-back raised a few eyebrows given the 27-year-old usually plays in central defence and there was no doubt that Morocco targeted the Al Ahly player from the start.Noussair Mazraoui carved his way through from left-back and Neil El Aynaoui’s shot was blocked as they wasted no time going on the attack. Brazil struggled to find their rhythm until Vinícius Júnior created some space down the left and picked out Igor Thiago, only for the Brentford striker to hopelessly mistime his header.Ancelotti was on his feet in the searing New Jersey heat for most of the first half and his worst fears were realised in a flash of inspiration from Brahim Díaz. There appeared to be no danger when the Real Madrid forward picked up the ball inside his own half but a sensational pass fell perfectly into Saibari’s stride and he casually lobbed over the stranded Alisson. It was no less than Morocco deserved.Had Achraf Hakimi decided to pass to Díaz instead of shoot in the next attack then it could have been even worse for Brazil. But just when they were on the ropes, Vinícius Júnior came to his side’s rescue when he picked up a pass from Guimarães on the byline and slammed past Yassine Bounou from a tight angle after leaving El Aynaoui on his backside. You could hear the collective sigh of relief in the stands.Bounou had to be at full stretch to tip Lucas Paqueta’s volley wide on the stroke of half-time after the struggling Casemiro and Ibañez both picked up yellow cards. Both were replaced for the second half in an acknowledgement that Ancelotti had got his selection wrong, with Fabinho and Danilo summoned from the bench. The result was a far more structured system that pushed Morocco back into their own half. A quickly-taken throw-in almost caught them out as Bounou denied Thiago from a tight angle.Ancelotti threw on Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha for the last half an hour as Morocco continued to frustrate. A triple substitution that brought an end to Díaz’s evening was an indication that Ouahbi may be prepared to settle for a point and it was Brazil who showed more intent in the closing stages. Their best chance to snatch the victory fell to another substitute, Luis Henrique, during 10 minutes of stoppage time when – to the usually calm and collected Ancelotti’s frustration – Bounou was equal to his effort. Maybe this international management lark isn’t so easy?

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Houston is a host city but those gathered there for a GOP convention are far more concerned with contentious politics – and an elephantGreg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has just finished a 25-minute address and most of the hits have been played. The radical Democrats must be destroyed in November’s midterms; an Austin-style woke agenda should be avoided at all costs; it is essential the Lone Star State remains the most conservative in the US. He has provided ample fodder for about 5,000 delegates but, as the applause subsides, they have a more weighty subject matter to absorb.There is an elephant in the room. A real live elephant in the form of Paige, who is wearing a white cloak bearing the slogan “Unity drives victory”. It has long been an in-joke at the Texas Republican party convention that, one day, a pachydermal visitor might drop in; the animal has been a symbol of the GOP for 150 years. Now, at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Friday afternoon, the fantasy has been made flesh. To intakes of breath, Paige is led up the vast conference hall’s central aisle, taking a break halfway up. The exit is 100 metres away but will have to wait; unfortunately for those who have rushed to marvel at her, it turns out Paige needs to urinate.Houston is making its debut as a World Cup host city but, in this bubble of largely hard-line activists drawn from some of the state’s furthest corners, football’s proximity is largely viewed as an irrelevance. “You won’t find soccer fans here, we’re here for business,” says Jo, who has travelled from Dallas and wears a sequin-heavy stars and stripes dress. “I don’t mind it, but I’m not remotely into it.”The next morning they are back at George R Brown Convention Centre to do it all again. They walk through the doors past children, no older than nine or 10, who wear T-shirts emblazoned with “Make abolishing abortion our number one legislative priority.” The youngsters hand out fliers and then, inside the hall, comes the daylong process of refining the party’s proposed platform for the next election cycle. Texas has been in a vice-like Republican grip for more than three decades but the past year has been fraught with infighting; the congress is peppered with pleas for unity and Abbott’s rare presence among these grassroots representatives is viewed as an endorsement of its shift further right.Michael, from the town of Abilene, six hours’ drive away, steps out of the room during a particularly heated discussion about the wording of the party’s abortion policy. Someone has just suggested men recuse themselves from any vote regarding amendments. “It’s getting a little contentious in there,” he says, understatedly. The World Cup has barely reached his radar, although he is aware of the USA’s 4-1 win against Paraguay the previous night. It is unclear whether Houston or Dallas will make a profit from host city-status and he is concerned about any impact on public finances.“I think there’s a whole lot of money in soccer and they should pay their own way,” he says. “We, the taxpayer, shouldn’t be shouldering the burden.” Michael is wearing a ‘MAGA 2024’ cap. Does he feel comfortable with Donald Trump’s appropriation of a tournament that will touch few in the Texas GOP? “It’s just what he does, he’s a bit of a showman,” he laughs. A man wearing a Stetson and leather waistcoat, a large knife sheathed by his left hip, walks past as he speaks.As the session breaks for lunch, Steve, who is sporting a “Defend Texas, Defeat Sharia” badge, admits he feels the future is precarious. “I’m scared about the midterms,” he says. “If we lose the House and Senate, our president’s not going to be effective any more.” He embarks upon an analysis of the United Kingdom’s immigration challenges that would not pass a fact check. Maybe he will find a new interest this summer. “Because of the World Cup we watched it last night,” he says. “It was fun. It’s a long time since I last watched soccer.”Perhaps a current of enthusiasm can be mustered here, after all. “I think it’s awesome, I really wanted to go,” says Ray, from Corpus Christi. He looked into attending a game but balked at the $1,100 quoted for a ticket. “How often do you get an event that brings people together from all over the world?” he asks. Does such an admirable sentiment square with the actions of a government that has, to many eyes, made this edition of the tournament less open and accessible than any other in the modern era?“We can’t shut down the whole world because of a few things going on,” he says. “But after 9/11 we had to pay a lot more attention to our surroundings. Soccer helps us keep a good relationship with other countries”. Ray is relaxed about the prospect of Iran playing games in the US but has few regrets about Trump’s decision to engage in military conflict. “It’s something we needed to do to get global security under control,” he claims. Like others willing to discuss the topic, though, he is concerned about the effect of a lengthy war on fuel prices.It feels, at least, as if the quest to find a genuine football supporter is warming up. Finally it bears something fruit-adjacent in the form of Jacovia, one of the few Black delegates present. “Me and my friends go and watch some Houston Dynamo games, it’s fun,” he says. “I’m a fan of the sport but I don’t really understand it.”Jacovia rejects the idea his country has put up the drawbridge to outsiders. “I think that perception is unfair,” he says. “I know there’s going to be pockets of terrible people that aren’t welcoming, but they don’t account for the majority of us.”None of those who spoke to the Guardian had engaged with the plight of the Somali referee Omar Artan, who was barred from entry to the US. “It’s an older crowd here, if they’ll watch anything it’s American football” says 72-year-old Patti, who takes pains to explain the intricacies of Saturday’s proceedings. They are peppered with speeches from the floor, ranging from the considered to the incendiary. A woman is jeered loudly for saying men should not be allowed parenting responsibility after a divorce; two people towards the back come to blows when a proposed amendment to protect against antisemitism is struck out. There are more boos at the mention of Tucker Carlson, the conservative podcaster; everyone rallies round again when the hawkish Texas senator Ted Cruz, whose public feud with Carlson over Iran continues to rumble, takes the stage.In the adjacent exhibition hall, visitors can sign up to the Patriot Mobile network, hear the claims of Texans For Vaccine Choice or download Abbott’s own app. All of conservative southern American life is here: disarmingly filter-free, deeply ideological, confounding and in parts deeply disturbing. Football and the World Cup, though, remain beyond the periphery.“It’s growing, it’s definitely growing,” says Steve. At the Texas GOP convention, that is happening at an elephant’s pace.

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It is the question that remains unanswered.And it led to a penalty, converted by Breel Embolo, as the teams drew 1-1 in Saturday's World Cup Group B match in Santa Clara.Before the tournament, Fifa put a lot of stock in its new, enhanced semi-automated offside system.World football's governing body scanned every player at the World Cup to create unique, lifelike avatars of each one.It was supposed to provide the most accurate illustration of offside decisions we have ever seen.Yet we are still waiting for the evidence to prove that Freuler was indeed onside."We all think it here [that it was offside]," Gary Neville said on ITV."Everybody at home thinks it. Fifa are the host broadcaster and they have the semi-automatic decision that they can show us."There is a massive question over that because it is offside in my eyes until they prove to me different."If there is one thing that is guaranteed to create doubt it is delay. It creates a vacuum that feeds conspiracy theories. It might give the impression Fifa is hiding something.We have seen the avatar animations in action in the opening games, and not just for overturned decisions.We saw an example on Friday, with Tani Oluwaseyi flagged offside before Bosnia-Herzegovina goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj clattered into the Canada striker. Fifa provided the semi-automated animation, even though the video assistant referee (VAR) had not got involved.It has been the same in decisions which are not close. In Saturday's later game, Fifa quickly showed the graphic for Morocco goalscorer Ismael Saibari against Brazil even though there was no real question about him being in an offside position.With an audio alert sent to an assistant when a player is more than 10cm offside there is no need for a delayed offside flag.The speed of this technology means the more obvious decisions are made quickly - but this was a tight one and appeared to be under the 10cm limit.BBC Sport has attempted to get clarification from Fifa on the situation but as yet it has not been forthcoming."It's like a dictatorship, this," added Neville. "The idea that they hold this evidence internally and don't show fans of countries who are playing in tournaments is absolutely ridiculous."To not show the evidence of an offside - prove to us that it's offside! Show it straight away. Why not have transparency?"In the domestic leagues which use semi-automated offside, they can fall back to drawing lines.That is because the semi-automated technology is not flawless. It can be impacted by many things, such as players being close together or even something as random as ticker tape on the pitch.If the more advanced technology fails, VAR can revert to drawing lines - and the supporters get the evidence they demand.As yet, that has not been provided for the Switzerland penalty.Play BBC Sport's new World Cup predictor gameEverything you need to know about the World Cup

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Qatar won their first ever point at a World Cup finals as a dramatic injury-time equaliser earned a draw against a lacklustre Switzerland in the second game of Group B on Saturday.Canada had drawn with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the group's opener on Friday night, giving favourites Switzerland the chance to take an early lead at the top of the four-team standings - an opportunity they forfeited quite spectacularly.After Breel Embolo's first-half penalty had them on course for victory, they contrived to throw away their lead with virtually the last act of the game, punished for a casual performance lacking in cutting edge.Late in stoppage time, Homam Ahmed hung up a hopeful ball to the back post, where Boualem Khoukhi arrived with perfect timing to power a superb header home and draw Qatar deservedly level.Switzerland, tipped to be dark horses at this tournament, amassed 26 shots, with an xG value of 3.24, but had only one goal to show for their casual efforts - scored from the spot.

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Qatar’s Boualem Khoukhi stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening match at the World Cup on Saturday.A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in the San Francisco Bay Area, before the wasteful favourites were made to pay as Qatar earned their first ever point at a World Cup.Qatar, appearing in just their second finals after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after the war in the Middle East caused the cancellation of two of their warm-up friendlies, meaning their meeting with Switzerland was just their third match since December last year.For most of the match they were outclassed as Switzerland racked up 26 shots, before the 35-year-old Khoukhi’s header four minutes into injury time sparked wild celebrations on the Qatar bench.For Julen Lopetegui, it was also a landmark moment as he coached his first World Cup match. The 59-year-old had been set to guide his native Spain at the 2018 edition in Russia, but was sacked days before the start of the tournament after it was announced he had agreed to take over Real Madrid after the World Cup.The Swiss are seeking to progress to the knockout stages for the fourth consecutive World Cup but their inability to kill off a match they dominated will worry their coach Murat Yakin.Manuel Akanji offered Qatar the first big chance of the match in just the second minute as his defensive lapse sent Edmilson Junior through, but he could only shoot tamely at Gregor Kobel.That let-off woke up the Swiss, who were awarded a penalty on 13 minutes as goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada clattered into Remo Freuler, despite a suspicion of offside, and after a four-minute stoppage Embolo sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.The rest of the opening period was one-way traffic towards the Qatar box but Edmilson Junior nearly caught the Swiss cold just before half-time, drawing a right-footed save from Kobel at the end of a rare foray forward.Under a blazing California sun the chances dried up in the second period with the most notable moments a Granit Xhaka drive from distance that whizzed narrowly over the bar and an Embolo poke that nestled in the side-netting.But ultimately Switzerland were made to pay for their profligacy as Khoukhi powered in at the back post to bullet home a 94th-minute equaliser.Switzerland next play Bosnia on Thursday in Los Angeles, while Qatar meet the co-hosts Canada in Vancouver on the same day.

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Rangers will hold talks with Derek McInnes about replacing Danny Röhl.Gers have made a formal approach to Hearts to speak to their head coach with current boss Röhl on the verge of joining RB Salzburg.McInnes, a former Rangers player, previously knocked back the chance to manage the club in 2017. The 54-year-old led Hearts to second place in his first season at Tynecastle, as they missed out on the league title to Celtic on the final day of the campaign.Salzburg are said to be keen to appoint Röhl as Daniel Beichler's replacement in Austria. Sky Sports News have previously reported that any possible deal would need to meet Rangers' terms, as Röhl has two years left on his contract at Ibrox, having joined the club last October.Röhl took over from Russell Martin, with the team sixth in the league and led them into the title race before falling short towards the end of last season.The Rangers players return for pre-season trianing next week.Chairman Andrew Cavanagh and chief executive Jim Gillespie are in Boston and will watch Haiti against Scotland at the World Cup.Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay is also at the match as part of a Scottish FA delegation in his role as Scottish FA vice-president.McInnes is also on his way to the game after his close-season holiday in America.