Ancelotti: We Hoped for a Better Start, This is What We Must Do

Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the Brazilian national team in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup, despite a positive draw against the Moroccan team with a score of 1-1, in the match held at MetLife Stadium.

Ancelotti said in statements after the match: "We must improve, as we did not show the required form at the beginning of the match, but we improved as time passed."

The Italian coach added: "We did not start the match well, the players were tense, we lost a lot of balls and many duels, the first half was not good, and the performance improved in the second half, but it was a tough match because Morocco is a strong team."

Ancelotti continued his criticism of his players' performance by saying: "There was a kind of anxiety, the players tried to get out of the pressure but they left dangerous spaces during transitions, and we could have controlled the match better."

He concluded his remarks: "Yes, I am satisfied with the point, we hoped for a better start, but a draw is possible against a strong team like Morocco, and now we must focus on the next match."