World Cup: Brazil 'Nerves were all over the place' in Morocco draw

East Rutherford, N.J. — World Cup pressure can get to anyone. Even Brazil .

That was Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti's explanation for an uneven first-half performance by the five-time World Cup champions, who nonetheless rode Vinicius Junior 's 32nd-minute leveler to a 1-1 draw against Morocco in both teams' Group C opener on Saturday evening.

"I think the team was a bit anxious in the beginning," said Ancelotti, who himself was managing his first match at a World Cup despite a career that includes a record five UEFA Champions League titles as a manager. "Nerves were all over the place. (We) didn't keep a lot of ball possession. In the second half, it was a lot better, but it was still tough, and I'm sure the team will do better in the next match."

Indeed, Vinicius' equalizer came decisively against the run of play for the Selecao, despite enjoying a majority of the support in the first match of the tournament played at the 80,663-capacity MetLife Stadium.

The Selecao's performance improved after halftime, during which Ancelotti pulled off Casemiro and Roger Ibanez in favor of Fabinho and Danilo .

But there remained a sense of unease at the final whistle even from Vinicius, who was undoubtedly his nation's best player.

"We've got to hold on to the ball," said the 25-year-old Real Madrid star. "We've got to move better. … But I don't think there's a lot to say now. I think we really have to improve."

Even the usually easy-mannered Ancelotti sounded on edge at a couple lines of questioning, including whether he opted for changes quickly enough.