Bailed out by Vinícius Júnior, Brazil are still a work in progress - ESPN

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey — Speaking on the eve of Brazil's opening World Cup fixture against Morocco, Vinícius Júnior told a packed news conference that he's not interested in being the best player at this tournament and that his only aim is to win the whole thing.

After a 1-1 draw with Morocco at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, he might want to reconsider. On this evidence, he is closer to earning individual awards than Brazil are to winning a sixth World Cup.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti's side were lucky to leave with a point, and it was only down to a moment of magic from the Real Madrid forward that they were able to do so.

Brazil haven't lost their first game at a World Cup since 1934.

This was a close call, and Morocco, powered by outstanding 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, will feel hard done by that they couldn't kick off their campaign with a win.

It was telling that when the final whistle blew, there were no real celebrations from the men in red. «We hoped to have more,» head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said.

But a missed opportunity for Morocco offers 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. Until the intervention