In their first match post-2022 World Cup, Brazil were defeated 2-1 by Morocco in an international friendly in Tanger, as goals from Sofiane Boufal and Abdelhamid Sabiri secured a famous victory for the African side.
Brazil were without talisman Neymar Jr, who was ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury while on Paris Saint-Germain duty last month. Rodrygo took his number 10 jersey, but failed to live up to the national team performances of Neymar.
Sport stated that Rodrygo’s performance “let a lot to be desired”, while similar was said of Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Jr, who failed to have the same effect as he has done at club level.
Vinicius’ display was labelled as “disappointing”, and was another that was called out for failing to step up in the absence of Neymar, in which he “failed miserably” in that regard.
Vinicius and Rodrygo will return to Real Madrid duty in the coming days, as preparations begin for a crucial run-in for Los Blancos as they target retaining their Champions League crown.