Norway and Morocco Draw in Friendly Match

A week before their World Cup opener against Brazil, Morocco played to a 1-1 draw against Norway on Sunday night, their future opponent in the World Cup. Two sides of Morocco were on display: one full of energy, dominating the first half, and another much more subdued, struggling in the second half. Thus, it was fitting that the first opponent of Brazil next Sunday in the World Cup ended up with a draw against Norway in New Jersey. Facing off against the French on June 26, Martin Ødegaard and his teammates finished strong, but did not show the same vigor as in their previous warm-up match against Sweden, which they won 3-1 last Monday.

Brahim Diaz opened the scoring in the 8th minute before Ødegaard equalized in the 75th minute. However, the main takeaway from the match may be the injury to Moroccan player Abde Ezzalzouli. Although Noussair Mazraoui was also substituted early in the match (29th minute), it is Ezzalzouli's condition that raises concerns. He suffered a collision late in the first half and was visibly affected, potentially sustaining a serious injury to his right leg.