Manchester United had two players in action during Saturday’s World Cup.
Noussair Mazraoui
Mazraoui put in a stunning performance for Morocco as they held Brazil to a 1-1 draw to open their group.
The Moroccan kept Raphinha quiet for most of the night as he kept him on lockdown. He played 80 minutes of the encounter, winning three of his five tackles.
He made five clearances and impressively won seven ground duels as the experienced fullback.
Mazraoui also showed off his versatility by completing two dribbles and making an impressive 88% of his passes.
Matheus Cunha
Cunha was named on the bench for Brazil and came on in the 61st minute of the match, but had little impact on the game.
He failed in both his dribble attempts and did not manage to get a shot on goal during his half an hour on the pitch.
Cunha was not able to make any key passes in the match and also failed in both his cross attempts, as he was regularly frustrated by a stubborn Moroccan defence.
The Brazilian was also only able to complete 56% of his passes.
He did win both his tackles and three ground duels as he worked hard for his nation off the ball.
Casemiro
Former United midfielder Casemiro also had a tough day at the office and was substituted at half-time after receiving a yellow card in the first half.
He often looked sluggish in midfield but did complete 94% of his passes, making one key pass.
Casemiro also made three clearances and one interception during his time on the pitch.
He did win his only aerial duel but, disappointingly, lost six of his eight ground battles.
New signing Ederson was also left on the bench for Brazil.
Altay Bayindir was an unused substitute in Turkey’s 0-2 loss to Australia, and Tyler Fletcher was an unused substitute in Scotland’s 1-0 win over Haiti.
Noussair Mazraoui vs Brazil
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.05 |
| Def. contributions | 10 |
| Tackles (won) | 5 (3) |
| Interceptions | 0 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 5 |
| Ground duels (won) | 12 (7) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 1 (0) |
| Fouls | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
| Key passes | 0 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 1 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 28/32 (88%) |
| Passes in opposition half (acc.) | 13/14 (93%) |
| Passes in own half (acc.) | 15/18 (83%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 1/2 (50%) |
| Touches | 54 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 3 (2) |
| Possession lost | 8 |
| Total carrying distance | 125.6 m |
| Carries | 14 |
| Progressive carries | 2 |
| Total progression | 92.8 m |
| Progressive carrying distance | 44.7 m |
| Longest progressive carry | 30.6 m |
| Total shots | 0 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Shots blocked | 0 |
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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