This international break’s most heated incident so far occurred during a friendly game rather than a competitive one.
It happened during Morocco’s 2-1 friendly victory against Brazil, and during the first half, Vinicius possessed the ball in midfield but wasn’t really a threat.
But, Sofyan Amrabat, a star of the World Cup in Qatar, launched into a horrifying challenge that led to a brief altercation between players from the two teams.
The Real Madrid player’s trailing leg was caught by the Moroccan midfielder, and the forward instantly leaped to argue with Amrabat.
The first Vinicius teammate to arrive on the situation was Rodrygo, who confronted the Fiorentina midfielder to defend his club and international teammate.
The fact that there have been speculations that Barcelona is interested in signing the Moroccan midfielder is a fascinating side note to this challenge, as it means that any next Clasicos might be even more heated.
a fierce friendly game
The challenge and the ensuing fight were inappropriate for a friendly game, especially because there was no competitive stake involved.
Yet, it was crucial for both teams, as Morocco wanted to show that their run to the 2022 World Cup semifinal wasn’t just a fluke and the Selecao wanted to pay tribute to Pele in their first match since his passing.
