Will Brazil ever groove to samba again?

The 1-1 draw against a good Moroccan side saw Brazil players make basic mistakes

- Ashish Magotra

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s first public reaction to his team’s 1-1 draw against Morocco was an apology. And to many fans, that was the right thing to do.

“I am sorry we didn’t play as well as we hoped,” said the 67-year-old Italian in his post-match media conference.

It was never meant to be an easy game. Brazil are ranked sixth in the world and Morocco are just one place lower. Both sides have their strengths and weaknesses but a draw was probably a fair result and one that both may not mind. It may even allow both to grow into the tournament. But for Brazil fans, this was an underwhelming performance in every sense.

The yellow and green jerseys of Brazil have always stood for more than just winning. Joga Bonito (Portuguese for “the beautiful game”) is Brazil's historic footballing philosophy, rooted in improvisation, joy, and rhythm. In a world that is often dictated by results, this perhaps was a fallback on a more innocent time when the simple act of a dummy or some devilish trickery would light us all up.