Brazil beaten, Germany bounce back in friendlies

Brazil’s first game under interim boss Ramon Menezes has ended in defeat as Morocco claimed a 2-1 friendly win in Tangier.

Menezes is in temporary charge after Tite’s reign ended in the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup.

And his debut in the Selecao dugout proved a frustrating one against the surprise World Cup semi-finalists, as Brazil saw several chances go begging and were ultimately undone by Abdelhamid Sabiri’s 79th-minute winner.

Sofiane Boufal had initially put Morocco ahead, with Casemiro levelling for Brazil before Sabiri delighted the home crowd.

Brazil wasted a gilt-edged chance in the 13th minute when Rony fired over from point-blank range and were again frustrated when Yassine Bounou pulled off a remarkable double save.

Vinicius Junior lobbed home soon after, only for the Real Madrid man to be denied by the offside flag.

That reprieve was made all the more important when Boufal tucked into the bottom left corner after linking up superbly with Bilal El Khannouss.

A Rodrygo volley drew an eye-catching Bounou save three minutes after the restart but the Morocco keeper was beaten in the 67th minute when he allowed Casemiro’s tame long-range effort to squirm under his body.

Sabiri would not allow Bounou’s error to be decisive, though, and he lashed a volley in off the underside of the crossbar to seal victory with an emphatic finish.

Earlier on Saturday in Mainz, Niclas Fuellkrug made it five goals in five internationals with a double in a 2-0 friendly win over Peru in Germany’s first match since their World Cup debacle.

The Werder Bremen striker, a rare bright spot for Hansi Flick’s side when they crashed out in the group stage in December, is fast establishing himself as the out-and-out forward Germany have lacked since Miroslav Klose’s retirement.

“It wasn’t about me cementing my place, it was about starting the international year well as a team,” he told ZDF.

“The first half was good. I’ve taken my chances in the box … I’ll try to carry on like this.”

The 29-year-old who scored on his debut in November in a pre-World Cup warm-up against Oman before netting twice in Qatar, was again on the scoresheet for the Euro 2024 hosts after just 12 minutes.

He scuffed the ball home after Kai Havertz had chested down Nico Schlotterbeck’s long pass, moments after his header was saved on the line by the excellent Pedro Gallese.

Fuellkrug netted again on 33 minutes, tapping in for his fifth goal in his first five caps after a lengthy video review, while Havertz hit the post with a second-half penalty.