Vinícius scores on his 50th Brazil cap but admits he is 'not yet at 100%' at World Cup

Vinícius Júnior marked his 50th appearance for Brazil with a decisive equaliser against Morocco in a 1-1 World Cup group-stage draw on Saturday, but the Real Madrid winger says he is still not operating at peak level.

With Brazil trailing and a crowd of more than 75,000 yellow-clad supporters stunned into silence, Vinícius combined with Bruno Guimarães to drag three defenders out of position, drifted past Neil El Aynaoui and drove a right-footed finish into the far corner past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. It was his first goal in any fixture against Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, whether at club or international level.

“We had to adapt as fast as possible because they scored on us too early, and it completely changed our way of play,” Vinícius said through an interpreter. “After they scored a goal against us, we were able to react very quickly and we scored a goal.”

The result was the only group-stage meeting of the tournament between two top-ten FIFA-ranked nations, and it left both sides with a point heading into their next fixtures. Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti faced some criticism for not introducing teenage forward Endrick, but he was full of praise for his winger’s contribution.

“He did well,” Ancelotti said. “He was dangerous, and I think he has everything in his power to have a good World Cup.”

Vinícius, who scored 16 goals in 36 games for Real Madrid this season, had several additional opportunities to create chances against Morocco and believes his best is still to come. “I believe I can improve a lot,” he said. “I was able to score the goal, but I’m not yet at 100% of my technical skill. I can improve on that and help Brazil on the attacking.”

He also credited Ancelotti — who now coaches the national side — for easing his transition into the squad setup. “He helps me adapt as quickly as possible to my team, and he gives me the importance that I need and deserve,” Vinícius said. “God willing, I’ll do more for him.”

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged the goal stemmed from a collective defensive error rather than individual brilliance alone. “Vinícius, obviously he’s a great player,” Ouahbi said. “But we didn’t have enough players in the zone at the time. We had lost the ball suddenly, and they counterattacked, so it was much harder to defend. And when you’re up against Vinícius, well, it’s hard to defend together.”

With Brazil yet to hit top gear and Vinícius openly targeting a higher level of performance, the Seleção’s remaining group games could look very different if the 25-year-old finds his sharpest form.