Morocco defeated Brazil 2-1 in a friendly match in Tangiers. Morocco took the lead through Sofiane Boufal, but Brazil’s Casemiro equalised in the 67th minute. Brazil’s fate was decided in the 79th minute when Abdelhamid Sabiri scored to ensure Morocco’s first-ever victory over the five-time world champions.
Brazil’s interim coach, Ramon Menezes, did not attend the post-match news conference, but Morocco’s Head Coach was pleased with the result.
“You know it means a lot for us to beat Brazil, the top team in the FIFA ranking, and the country of football. This is the mon the of Ramadan, we have to go and pray Tarawih to confirm if it’s true or not. Now we are going to celebrate but it’s a long way to go. We must not get on fire – when I say we must win the African Cup, they say that I am exaggerating. I must be careful when I say that we are not going to play for win but we only play for happiness”, said Morocco’s Head Coach, Walid Regragui.
Only 10 of the 23-man team that led Brazil to a dispiriting World Cup quarterfinal defeat travelled to Morocco for the match. The injured Neymar was once more absent, and Real Madrid’s youth Rodrygo received the number 10 jersey. Brazil also had a new manager in the dugout. Ramon Menezes, a temporary manager, took over for Tite, who resigned following Croatia’s defeat of Brazil in the World Cup’s last eight.
Before the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifying process in September, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) expects to be able to reveal the identity of its new coach. Carlo Ancelotti, who is presently in charge of Real Madrid, is reportedly the CBF’s top choice, according to Brazilian media. He is not anticipated to decide on his future, though, until the conclusion of the European season.
Before the game began at the Ibn Batouta stadium, both sides honoured Pele, who passed away in December of last year at the age of 82. Morocco had lost their only other two encounters with Brazil, 2-0 in a friendly in 1997 and 3-0 in the group rounds of the 1998 World Cup in France. Morocco’s next encounter is against Peru on Tuesday.
