Ayyoub Bouaddi stepped onto the FIFA World Cup stage for the first time on Saturday — and made sure nobody would overlook him again. The Morocco midfielder delivered a performance that left Brazil veteran Casemiro looking every one of his years, as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in their opening Group match.

Late in the first half, the contrast between the two players became impossible to ignore. While Casemiro, one of the most decorated defensive midfielders of his generation, laboured to keep up, Bouaddi moved with a sharpness and purpose that announced him to a global audience.

The result means both Morocco and Brazil begin their World Cup campaigns with a point apiece, but the individual story of the match belonged to the young Moroccan, who refused to be outshone on the biggest stage in football.

For Morocco, who have built steadily on their historic 2022 World Cup run to the semi-finals, Bouaddi's emergence represents another promising chapter. The Atlas Lions showed once again that they possess the quality and the hunger to compete with any side in the world.

Casemiro, for his part, will be hoping for a sharper showing when Brazil face their next group stage opponent — but Saturday served as a reminder that the new generation is ready to take its place.