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Saudi Al-Ahly star’s boring appearance in Atlas Lions battle
Italy’s Carlo Ancelotti did not go as planned in the first leg of the 2026 World Cup Group C clash between Brazil and Morocco when one of his tactical ideas turned into a glaring weakness that Morocco exploited in the first half.
Ancelotti decided to give Saudi Al-Ahly defender Roger Ibanez a chance to start the match, but the surprise was relying on him at right-back instead of his usual position in the heart of defence.
However, the veteran coach’s calculations collided with a different reality on the pitch as Ibanez clearly struggled against the quick movements of the Moroccan players, especially on the wings, coming under constant pressure from the opening minutes of the match.
Morocco seemed to be aware of Brazil’s weakness down the right flank, so they focused most of their attacks on this side, taking advantage of Ibanez’s difficulties with positioning, breakaways and one-on-one situations, which left Brazil reeling defensively for much of the first half.
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The Al Ahli defender’s woes weren’t limited to the technical aspect, but the numbers showed just how difficult he faced over 45 minutes, as he lost 5 of 8 physical challenges, dribbled twice and conceded two free-kicks against his country’s national team and failed to win a single aerial battle on the pitch.
By the end of the first half, it was clear that Ancelotti was unconvinced by the player’s performance, so he decided to quickly step in and rectify the situation by withdrawing Ibanez and introducing Danilo at the start of the second half, a move that many analysts saw as an implicit admission of the failure of the experiment.
In the end, Ibanez received the lowest rating of any player in the national team at 6.2, leaving the match as one of the most criticized players, while the Moroccan managed to spoil Ancelotti’s idea early and turn the Italian manager’s tactical gamble into one of the match’s most famous stories.
