Casemiro and Gabriel criticised after Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco

Brazil's World Cup campaign began with a stuttering 1-1 draw against Morocco at the New York New Jersey Stadium, a game remembered as much for defensive lapses and a lack of midfield authority as for Vinicius Jr's equaliser. Alan Shearer singled out Gabriel, saying the Arsenal defender struggled with the pace and was caught out of position when Ismael Saibari opened the scoring in the 21st minute after confusion between Gabriel, Marquinhos and goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

"He’s looked shaky, Gabriel, today," Shearer said. "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." Former Liverpool and Brazil midfielder Lucas Leiva raised concerns about the team's balance, explaining Casemiro was withdrawn at half-time after a difficult opening 45 minutes.

United States, New York/New Jersey

brazil, morocco, world cup, casemiro, gabriel, vinicius jr, alisson becker, marquinhos, ismael saibari, alan shearer