- Morocco draw 1-1 vs Brazil at World Cup
- Crystal Palace star Chadi Riad praised
- Eagles defender put in a ‘blinder’
Chadi Riad has come in for huge praise after the Crystal Palace star impressed in Morocco’s 1-1 draw against Brazil in their World Cup opener. The two sides couldn’t be separated, although the Atlas Lions were the better team.
Morocco controlled proceedings in the first half and took a deserved lead through PSV Eindhoven forward Ismael Saibari. The attacker delicately dinked the ball over Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Brazil equalised when Vinicius Junior scored a stunning strike against the run of play. The second half failed to replicate the excitement of the first and the two teams each earned a point.
Brazil 1-1 Morocco: Class Chadi
Riad started the game in central defence and caught the eye with a brilliant display. He nullified the threat of Brazil’s frontline, showing composure and confidence alongside Issa Diop.
The 22-year-old made 35 of his 40 passes, achieved a 100% successful dribble rate, made three clearances and two recoveries. He also won both of his ground duels against a Selecao side that don’t look like candidates to win the World Cup.
While Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi was the star of the show, Riad also played a key role in Morocco’s draw. He put in an equally excellent performance in Palace’s UEFA Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano.
Fans rave about Riad
It wasn’t just Palace fans who were blown away by Riad’s outing on Saturday night. Supporters around the globe applauded the Eagles centre-back.
Riad, who joined the club from Barcelona, earned praise from BarcaTimes on X: “Amazing performance from the ex-Barça centre-back at the biggest stage. Made in La Masia.”
Barca fan Neal Gardner wrote: “Watch out for Chadi Riad at this World Cup. Was one of my very favorites at Barça, now a starter for Morocco. In a pretty scarce LCB market, I could see him attracting a lot of attention. Still a really good CB talent.”
A Morocco fan hailed Riad and pointed out Bouaddi’s reaction to him: “Chadi Riad. People are hyping up Bouddadi now. I’m so impressed by the vision and intelligence of Chadi Riad. The reason why Boudaddi is clapping is because how Riad find solution for the problem, Boudaddi can easily turn unmark. Chadi Riad is the genius CB, ball playing.”
Another supporter added: “Don Chadi Riad… top-notch player.”
One said: “Chadi Riad? He had an absolute blinder but he still needs a bit more, I think—he hasn’t quite earned the starting spot with Crystal Palace yet. That said, I loved his performances at Betis, no doubt about that.”
Riad is Palace’s fourth-choice centre-back which highlights the depth the Eagles have in defence. If he continues to star for Morocco at the World Cup he will surely be pushing for a starting berth next season.
