Bailed out by Vinícius Júnior, Brazil are still a ...

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti's side narrowly escaped defeat in their World Cup opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday. Vinícius Júnior's moment of magic midway through the first half salvaged a 1-1 draw for the Brazilians, who were lucky to leave with a point.

The match began with Morocco on the front foot, their energetic and aggressive approach causing problems for Brazil's midfield. With Lucas Paquetá wide on the right, Bruno Guimarães and 34-year-old Casemiro were asked to cover vast spaces of the dry MetLife pitch in the New Jersey heat. Morocco made the most of the space, and it wasn't long before they found the breakthrough. Noussair Mazraoui found Brahim Díaz in the centre circle, and while Brazil's midfield scrambled to get close, Brahim had the time to play a straight, but perfectly-weighted pass to split Brazil's centre-half pairing of Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães. It allowed Ismael Saibari to scamper through and clip a clever finish over the stranded Allison.

By that point, Ancelotti had seen enough, and Paqueta was moved inside to make up a midfield three. It meant Vinícius was shifted out onto the left, and it was from there that he produced a moment of individual brilliance to find an equaliser. He looked to be running out of room when he collected Guimarães' pass close to the touchline on the left side of the penalty area. But with his quick feet and a rapid shift of his weight, he darted inside and whipped a right-foot shot into the far corner.

The goal prompted wild celebrations among the mass of yellow shirts in the stands, tinged with a bit of relief. For Morocco, it was a missed opportunity, and head coach Mohamed Ouahbi admitted that his team had hoped for more. "We hoped to have more," he said. "But we have to be satisfied with the point." Morocco's outstanding 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi was a standout performer, and his team will feel hard done by that they couldn't kick off their campaign with a win.

The draw gives Ancelotti the chance to go back to the drawing board with morale just about intact. In this expanded competition, a draw in your toughest group game isn't a disaster, and there is still time to find the pieces to put together a cohesive unit capable of competing with the best teams. At least Vinícius gave Ancelotti something positive to talk about in a post-match news conference dominated by questions about his tactics and team selection. "He did well," Ancelotti said. "He was very dangerous. I think he has everything in his power to have a great World Cup."

What the team's prospects look like for the next month is a different question entirely. Brazil haven't lost their first game at a World Cup since 1934, and this was a close call. The team's performance was unbalanced, and Ancelotti put the poor start down to "nerves" and "anxiety." However, it was hard not to think that the Italian got his tactical set up all wrong. With Paquetá wide on the right, Guimarães and Casemiro were asked to cover too much ground, and Morocco made the most of the space.

The introduction of Paqueta into the midfield three was a positive move, and it allowed Vinícius to shift out onto the left and cause problems for Morocco's defence. However, Brazil's overall performance was lacking, and they will need to improve significantly if they are to make a deep run in the tournament. Ancelotti has plenty of thinking to do before facing Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday, and he will need to find a way to get the best out of his creative players.

Setting up in a 4-2-4 system allows Ancelotti the freedom to cram more of his creative players into the same XI. However, it also leaves the team vulnerable to counter-attacks, and Morocco exploited this weakness in the first half. Brazil's midfield struggled to cope with the pace of the game, and they were often caught out of position. The introduction of Paqueta into the midfield three helped to alleviate some of these problems, but Brazil still looked unbalanced at times.

The draw with Morocco is not a disaster for Brazil, but it is a wake-up call. The team needs to improve significantly if they are to make a deep run in the tournament. Ancelotti has plenty of talent at his disposal, but he needs to find a way to get the best out of his players. The Brazilian manager will be hoping that Vinícius can continue to produce moments of magic, but he will also need to find a way to get the rest of the team playing to a higher level.

In the end, Brazil escaped with a point, but they know that they will need to improve significantly if they are to make a deep run in the tournament. The team's performance was unbalanced, and they were lucky to leave with a draw. However, with Vinícius on the pitch, Brazil always have a chance. The young forward is a game-changer, and he will be key to Brazil's chances of success in the tournament. Ancelotti will be hoping that he can continue to produce moments of magic, and that the rest of the team can start to play to a higher level.