World Cup: Brazil 'Nerves were all over the place' in Morocco draw

East Rutherford, N.J. — World Cup pressure can get to anyone. Even Brazil.

>That was Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti's explanation for an uneven first-half performance by the five-time World Cup champions, who nonetheless rode Vinicius Junior's 32nd-minute leveler to a 1-1 draw against Morocco in both teams' Group C opener on Saturday evening.

>"I think the team was a bit anxious in the beginning," said Ancelotti, who himself was managing his first match at a World Cup despite a career that includes a record five UEFA Champions League titles as a manager. "Nerves were all over the place. (We) didn't keep a lot of ball possession. In the second half, it was a lot better, but it was still tough, and I'm sure the team will do better in the next match."

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>Indeed, Vinicius' equalizer came decisively against the run of play for the Selecao, despite enjoying a majority of the support in the first match of the tournament played at the 80,663-capacity MetLife Stadium.

>The Selecao's performance improved after halftime, during which Ancelotti pulled off Casemiro and Roger Ibanez in favor of Fabinho and Danilo.

>But there remained a sense of unease at the final whistle even from Vinicius, who was undoubtedly his nation's best player.

>"We've got to hold on to the ball," said the 25-year-old Real Madrid star. "We've got to move better. … But I don't think there's a lot to say now. I think we really have to improve."

>Even the usually easy-mannered Ancelotti sounded on edge at a couple lines of questioning, including whether he opted for changes quickly enough.

>"There were two substitutions in the 45th minute and another in the (61st) minute," he said. "Do you hear what I'm saying? Two substitutions at 45th minute and another substitution at the (61st) minute. I don't think we lost any time when it comes to substitutions."

>Ancelotti refused to criticize Casemiro or Ibanez directly, or express regret for fielding them in his starting XI. At age 34, Casemiro is out of contract at Manchester United and rumored to be leaving Europe. Ibanez plays in the Saudi Pro League.

>"Those were good players," Ancelotti said. "I think I made the right choices, and I will not take any criticism about the individual players that started the match. I think there's criticism to the entire team that didn't play well during the first half."

>A potential saving grace, at least for the rest of group play, is that Saturday's match was easily Brazil's toughest Group C test on paper. Morocco is seventh in the FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings, only a single spot behind No. 6 Brazil.

>Scotland is 37th and Haiti is 84th. Those two faced off Saturday night in the first World Cup match for either team since 1998 for Scotland and 1974 for Haiti.

Qatar 1, Switzerland 1Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said his side had "lost two points" after Qatar struck in stoppage time to claim their first-ever World Cup point.

>Switzerland dominated much of an energetic World Cup opener in the San Francisco Bay Area, creating the clearer chances and controlling possession, but were punished late after failing to close out the match in extreme heat.

>"We had an idea and we wanted to be very dominant, very attacking," Yakin told reporters. "We created very good chances, but unfortunately we weren't always efficient. Maybe we weren't smart enough, not precise enough in the end.

>"At the end of the day, unfortunately, we lost two points."

>Yakin said the late equaliser by Boualem Khoukhi came from an avoidable Swiss mistake, with his team losing possession in the closing minutes when they should have managed the game more carefully.

>"It was just unnecessary that we lost the ball and allowed the chance," he said.

>"It really hurts a lot. Now we have to get back to the drawing board, assess the match and come back stronger."

>Switzerland's substitutions came under scrutiny after they appeared to lose control late, but Yakin refused to blame the players he introduced from the bench.

>"When you bring someone new in, you hope they will give more strength to the team and that you keep dominating," he said.

>"It was not the fault of the substituted players. We are one team, one unit," he said.

>"Maybe I need to look at myself and my decisions."

>Yakin said Switzerland's brave, high-pressing style carried risks, especially while protecting a narrow lead.

>Although he declined to use the noon heat as an excuse, Yakin acknowledged that the conditions and dry pitch made ball control difficult despite cooling breaks.

>"We all play under the same circumstances," he said. "We created all of the chances today. Maybe we lacked precision and determination to score a second goal."

>Yakin also defended captain Granit Xhaka, calling him "a true leader" and "pivotal" to the team.

>"He always wants to win and unfortunately he couldn't do that today," Yakin said.

>Switzerland will now attempt to recover quickly for its next Group B match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, with Yakin insisting his experienced squad had shown enough quality to respond.

>"We want to have a very good World Cup," he said. "I am convinced that we will do better in the upcoming matches."

Scotland 1, Haiti 0At Boston, Scotland battled past Haiti courtesy of John McGinn's deflected first-half goal to go top of World Cup Group C with their first win in the tournament since 1990.

>McGinn put them into the lead in the 28th minute when his shot took a double deflection to land in the back of the Haiti net.

>Scotland, who had hit the post earlier with a Scott McTominay effort, at times struggled with the Haitians' pace but the Caribbean team, making its first appearance at the World Cup since 1974, lacked clinical finishing.

>Scotland next play Morocco, who drew 1-1 with Brazil earlier, while Haiti takes on the five-time world champions, with both games on June 19.

>This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: World Cup: Brazil 'Nerves were all over the place' in Morocco draw