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 StatisticValue Goals0 Assists0 Expected assists (xA)0.05 Def. contributions10 Tackles (won)5 (3) Interceptions0 Clearances5 Blocked shots0 Recoveries5 Ground duels (won)12 (7) Aerial duels (won)1 (0) Fouls2 Dribbled past2 Key passes0 Crosses (accurate)1 (0) Accurate passes28/32 (88%) Passes in opposition half (acc.)13/14 (93%) Passes in own half (acc.)15/18 (83%) Long balls (accurate)1/2 (50%) Touches54 Dribbles (successful)3 (2) Possession lost8 Total carrying distance125.6 m Carries14 Progressive carries2 Total progression92.8 m Progressive carrying distance44.7 m Longest progressive carry30.6 m Total shots0 Shots on target0 Shots blocked0 Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.
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