Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a magical curling long range shot on 20 minutes, but Steven Zuber headed the Swiss back level five minutes after the restart.

The stalemate left Serbia, who had beaten Costa Rica 1-0 earlier Sunday, top of the Group E standings.

Brazil's bid for a sixth World Cup got off to a slow start as Switzerland withstood an early onslaught to snatch a 1-1 draw in Rostov-on-Don on Sunday.

On the day when holders Germany were shocked 1-0 by Mexico, Brazil's tag as pre-tournament favourites looked justified in a dominant first-half capped by Philippe Coutinho's wonder strike to open the scoring.

However, Brazil paid for their failure to kill the game off when Steven Zuber powered home an equaliser from Xherdan Shaqiri's corner five minutes after the break.

The pressure will now be on Brazil to kickstart their campaign when they face Costa Rica on Friday.
Earlier, Serbia beat Los Ticos 1-0 to move to the top of Group F.

Coutinho had been handed a central role behind Neymar, on his first competitive game for four months, Gabriel Jesus and Willian in a line-up filled with attacking intent from coach Tite.

The five-time world champions went about their task of erasing the memories of a 7-1 thrashing by Germany on home soil four years ago purposefully early on.

Paulinho passed up a glorious chance when his scuffed effort from close range was turned behind by Yann Sommer.

It seemed a matter of time before Brazil's pressure paid dividends and the opener arrived in stunning style on 20 minutes.

Barcelona's record signing picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area and in trademark fashion bent the ball crashing in off Sommer's far post.

Neymar looked bright despite his lack of match practice as he teased the Swiss defence provoking yellow cards for Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schar and Valon Behrami.

However, Brazil failed to build on their lead as Thiago Silva and Jesus headed off target from dangerous corners and were made to pay early in the second-half.

Switzerland had offered barely any attacking threat before levelling when Zuber took advantage of a gaping hole in the heart of the Brazilian defence to head home Shaqiri's corner.

Forced back onto the front foot, Brazil turned to Neymar for a moment of inspiration but he could only blast into the side-netting before Coutinho sliced wide with a much simpler opportunity than the one from which he opened the scoring.

Brazil were unhappy that Zuber wasn't penalised for a slight push on Miranda for the equaliser and felt hard done by again when Jesus tumbled under a challenge from Manuel Akanji inside the area with Mexican referee Cesar Ramos unmoved.

Tite's men ended as they had begun with a series of chances for a late winner as Neymar and Roberto Firmino headed straight at Sommer before Miranda dragged a shot inches wide.

And deep into stoppage time Schar's outstretched leg turned a goalbound effort from Silva wide as Switzerland held out for a vital point.
 

Preamble

Team news! The HEADLINES- Neymar starts for Brazil! Shaqiri starts for Switzerland! 

Bring on the third match!

Here are the teams for #BRASUI 👇 pic.twitter.com/F47sxiT4wm — FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) June 17, 2018

Hello! Welcome to the Live Updates of Brazil Vs Switzerland. Will the Seleção come out all guns blazing in Rostov? We'll be finding out over the next few hours. 

Match Highlights

Goal! Brazil 1, Switzerland 1

Goal! Brazil 1, Switzerland 0. Coutinho

Preview

Brazil make their World Cup bow on Sunday evening when they take on a Switzerland side who impressed in qualifying for the tournament. You can watch Live & Exclusive streaming of the match at the Rostov Arena via beIN SPORTS CONNECT. 

The big news for Brazil is the return of star striker Neymar who made his first appearance for club and country in the 2-0 friendly victory over Croatia. The world’s most expensive player marked his return to the side by scoring the opening goal of the contest. His return will be a huge boost for Seleção boss Tite who has relied on the talents of the mercurial 26-year old since taking charge of the side in June 2016. 

With a Brazil side packed with house-hold names, it’s hard to pick out a key man for the opening game against Switzerland. Man City youngster Gabriel Jesus has been handed the number 9 shirt and looks likely to start as the central striker. An intelligent striker, with plenty of pace Jesus was supurb for Man City this year as they won the Premier League and League cup in England. 

Brazil Predicted Team

Alisson; Marquinhos, Miranda, Danilo, Marcelo; Casemiro, Paulinho, Coutinho; Willian, Neymar, Gabriel Jesus

Live match stream- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
TV Channel- MAX HD3
Kick-off- 21:00
Stadium- Rostov Arena, Rostov-On-Don

Switzerland impressed in qualification for the World Cup, but were just pipped by Portugal to automatic qualification. Victory over Northern Ireland in the play-off ensured Vladimir Petkovic’s team made it to Russia. 

The Swiss have prepared well for their opening game of the world cup, with a impressive 1-1 draw against Spain and victories over Panama & Greece. Confidence will be high in the side heading into the game against Brazil, but realistically the European nation will have to get up defensively if they are to come away with a big result against the Seleção. 

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka will have a crucial role to play in central midfield if Switzerland are to shock Brazil in Rostov. The 25-year old endured a tough season in North London, but has remained exceptional in a Switzerland shirt, becoming a key member of the squad. Xhaka will be charged with stemming the creative influence of Brazil expect a few tough tackles from the midfielder. 

Switzerland Predicted Team

Sommer; Schar, Akanji, Lichtsteiner, Rodriguez; Behrami, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber; Embolo

It promises to be an interesting match as  Brazil kick-start their campaign with a tough test against Switzerland. You can watch Live & Exclusive streaming of the match at the Rostov arena via beIN SPORTS CONNECT.