Qatar open World Championship with victory

Following a lavish opening ceremony in Doha, including light, music and fireworks, the action got under way with Qatar edging their South American opponents in a match that was closer than the final scoreline suggested.

Qatar took an early lead at Lusail Multipurpose Arena, but Brazil refused to let them out of their sights, going in at the half-time break just three goals behind at 15-12.

The home side were able to open up a more comfortable advantage after the break, but still the Brazilians refused to lie down and they fought back to give Qatar a scare.

Goalkeeper Danijel Šarić proved invaluable for Qatar, the Bosnia-born Barcelona veteran making a string of crucial saves to keep Brazil at bay as full-time approached.

"It was a tough game for us, and taking in consideration it was the first of the tournament, we were under huge pressure," Šarić said. "Now that we have rid ourselves of the pressure we can throw on and focus on the next few games.

"Our defence was good, our attack wasn’t, but that happens from time to time. Brazil are behind us and Chile are our focus now. I just hope and wish that our injured players can recover in time for the next match."

Qatar's Mahmoud Hassab Alla echoed Šarić's sentiments, saying: "The first game is always hard. There is a lot of pressure in the opening game. I'm very happy with the performance of my team.

"We think step by step and we will see how far we can go."

Brazil's Diogo Hubner identified his side's defensive performance as one of the main reasons for the defeat.

"Qatar is a strong team and they play at home," he said. "Today it was a difficult match for us and our defence was not good.

"We will rest now and focus on the match against Spain."

Qatar's clash with Brazil was the only match on the opening day of the tournaments, with the remaining 22 teams in action on Friday.