Brazil held to 1-1 draw by Switzerland

MNA Sports Desk: Brazil continued the trend of tournament favourites under performing as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in their FIFA World Cup 2018 Group E opener in Rostov.

Having bowed out of their home tournament four years ago with a 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany, Brazil initially started their mission to put that humiliation behind them in stunning fashion when Philippe Coutinho struck a sublime goal to open the scoring.

Despite dictating the pace of the game, Brazil were never completely dominant and had Switzerland’s rather toothless attack to thank for not taking advantage of the possession and space the underdogs were afforded.

The five-time winners failed to extend their lead and were punished early in the second half when Steven Zuber lost his marker at a corner and equalised – a goal that might have opened the game up had Brazil been at their best, reported news agency.