Brazil failed to win their opening World Cup match for the first time in 40 years, with Steven Zuber’s controversial header cancelling out Philippe Coutinho’s gorgeous goal<doc-sep>Brazil vs Switzerland: Live blog, text commentary, line-ups, stream & TV channel Brazil will look to get their World Cup tournament to a promising start with a win over Switzerland to make up for the humiliation against Germany 97 mins: FULL-TIME Brazil 1-1 Switzerland. 96 mins: Neymar confuses everyone by crossing but Augusto is unable to volley home as Schar sticks his leg out to deny him from close range. 94 mins: Brazil have another free-kick after Neymar is brought down. It is within shooting range... Article continues below 93 mins: Neymar, Firmino and Miranda have all missed chances in the last few seconds and they now have just two minutes to find their winner. 92 mins: CHANCE - Miranda stays forward from a set piece and he lets fly with a volley but his strike takes a slight deflection and Switzerland survive. 90 mins: SUPERB SAVE!!! Neymar's free-kick picks out Firmino and the Liverpool man looks destined to score but Sommer throws himself at his near post and claws the header away from goal. 88 mins: CHANCE - Neymar waits until the last second before bursting into the box and his run is picked out but he can only guide his header straight down the throat of Sommer! 87 mins: Nervous moment for Sommer as he nearly reacts too slow to a Brazil free-kick. Neymar's delivery sailed over the head of everyone and Sommer nearly took his eye off the ball. 87 mins: Lichtsteiner is clapped off as Lang enters the game. Just a few minutes for him to settle in and help his team hold on to this 1-1 draw. 86 mins: Lichtsteiner has gone down with cramp and it looks as if his night is over. 83 mins: Brazil seem to be running out of ideas when they have the ball, but that is mainly down to Switzerland's defending. Petkovic's men have stayed within their formation and defended superbly so far tonight. 81 mins: 10 minutes to go and the game is there to be won. Brazil have strugged to kick on after impressing inside the first 25 minutes and Serbia will top the group if nobody can find a winner. 80 mins: While he has not had many touches, Seferovic has worked himself into the ground for Switzerland. He is now handed a rest, with Embolo his replacement. 79 mins: Firmino is stripped off and ready to go as he replaces Jesus. 77 mins: Fernandinho decides to try and fire his team back into the lead but the less said about that shot the better. 75 mins: It is a little bit end-to-end at present and that will please the neutrals in attendance. Tiredness could come into it and Brazil will feel they have the speed and freshness needed to break down the field and score. 73 mins: Brazil scream for a penalty after Jesus goes down after competing with Akanji...they are praying for VAR but Ramos waves away any appeals. 71 mins: After watching Behrami get booked, Petkovic has decided to take no chances and he sends on Zakaria. 69 mins: CHANCE - Coutinho misses the chance to double his tally for the night but he fails to find the target. The playmaker brought the ball down in the box via his chest but he is only able to slice an effort wide of the far post. 68 mins: Behrami has enjoyed some great battles with Neymar but he loses this one and commits a foul. Yellow card awarded and he will need to keep calm for the remainder of the game. 67 mins: Renato Augusto enters the field of play and has just over 20 minutes to impress, Paulinho the man that makes way. 66 mins: Both Fernandinho and Willian try their luck with shots from the edge of the box but there's a lack of control with both efforts and it remains 1-1. 65 mins: Yellow card for Schar as he pulls Neymar's shirt and goes for a little ride before the referee finally pulls him up. 63 mins: The game is starting to open up slightly and that should suit Brazil but they are yet to really find their top gear. Switzerland's midfield is working overtime and Selecao have yet to find a way to outmuscle them. 60 mins: Casemiro shoots from the edge of the box but that is his last involvement tonight. He turns around and sees his number on the board and on comes Fernandinho. 59 mins: Switzerland clear a number of crosses but they did not look settled at any stage there. Several defenders seemed to panic and rush their efforts and it just shows the pressure that is on everyone at the World Cup. 58 mins: Coutinho has two shots blocked from the edge of the area before Neymar sees his effort deflected for a corner. The PSG man is limping after that after kicking the studs of another player. 57 mins: Behrami is back out there and determined to carry on. That bravery and determination is just what Switzerland need if they are to hold on for a point. 54 mins: Big worry here for Petkovic as Behrami goes down and he seems to be holding his left knee. 52 mins: Brazil's resolve will now be tested in this Group E battle and they definitely have not been at their best tonight. They have shown glimpses of their potential but Switzerland have refused to give in and deserved their equaliser. 50 mins: Shaqiri won the corner and grabs an assist thanks to his teasing delivery. Much better from the Potters winger. 50 mins: GOAAALLLLLL Brazil 1-1 Switzerland! Shaqiri fires in a powerful cross and Brazil fall asleep inside the six-yard box. Zuber cannot believe his luck as he is left unmarked and he powers home a header from close range. Alisson left helpless and we now have a game on our hands. 50 mins: The tempo has yet to pick up in Rostov but Switzerland do have a corner here to try and draw level. 47 mins: Referee Ramos hands Casemiro a card after watching him chop down Dzemaili. 47 mins: Dzemaili tries his luck from distance but he can only shoot wide of the target from a long way out. 46 mins: We are back underway in Rostov as Brazil look to try and extend their 1-0 lead. Jesus and Willian have been too quiet in the first 45 minutes but Coutinho and Paulinho have caught the eye after some good work in midfield. Behrami has impressed for Petkovic's men but Switzerland need to bring Seferovic into the contest if they are to find a way back into the game. Brazil in the lead thanks to Coutinho's thunderbolt but they have been disappointing since going in front. For a minute or two it looked like they may kick on and grab a second or a third but Switzerland have dug in to stay in the game. 48 mins: HALF-TIME - Brazil 1-0 Switzerland. 47 mins: CHANCE - Tite's men win another corner and Neymar's cross is met by Silva but the PSG defender can only glance his header over the crossbar. 45 mins: Two minutes of stoppage time given at the Rostov Arena. Coutinho's strike is the difference at the minute but there is room for improvement from both teams! 43 mins: Shaqiri gets a rare chance to get forward and he floats a cross into the box but Casemiro climbs up and heads clear. 41 mins: In surprising fashion, Switzerland are now starting to come more and more into the game. Behrami has got the better of Neymar in their last three battles and Brazil are not flying forward with the same swagger. 40 mins: Silva is now down on the floor after Zuber's shot smashed into the side of his face. It was going wide but that is some brave defending all the same! 37 mins: Brazil are just plodding on at the moment and their lead does not look under threat. Tite will no doubt be urging them to push for a second before the interval but they look full of confidence at present.<doc-sep>Switzerland's World Cup 2018 campaign begins when they take on Brazil in the second match of Group E later tonight. The Swiss had a phenomenal run in qualifying, winning nine games on the trot to move up to sixth in the world rankings. They also remained unbeaten across four warm-up games, securing an impressive 1-1 draw against Spain. However, they will now come up against a whole different beast in tournament favourites Brazil. Coach Vladimir Petkovic though feels his side have the quality to come away with all three points. "For me as a coach, as a football teacher, a draw is not enough. We always try to achieve the maximum, to win, that is obviously the case, we will do everything to achieve this. If the opponent is better at performing on the pitch and we have to settle for a draw we will accept that. But we prefer to focus on winning and we have that ambition.” Team news Switzerland will be without their top striker Admir Mehmedi who has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. They have a decision to make on whether to start Haris Seferovic who has not been in the best of form for his nation. Breel Embolo is expected to make the cut. He will feature from the left while Shaqiri will line up on the right flank. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has always exceeded expectations in the Swiss shirt and he will line up alongside Valon Behrami at the base of the midfield. The final midfield spot is a toss-up between Dzemaili and Zuber but with Dzemaili's far superior attacking prowess, he is likely to get the nod. The backline is more or less settled. Captain and new Arsenal signing Stephan Lichtsteiner will occupy his usual right-back slot. Fabian Schar and Manuel Akanji featured regularly for Switzerland in qualifying and will continue to start for the side in the middle of the defence while Ricardo Rodriguez slots in at left-back. Switzerland Probable XI: Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Xhaka, Behrami; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Embolo; Seferovic. Switzerland starting XI against Brazil<doc-sep>
Sports Mole provides predicted lineups, team news and a full match preview of the World Cup Group E match between Brazil and Switzerland. Brazil, one of the favourites to go all the way in Russia, kick off their World Cup campaign with a match against Switzerland at the Rostov Arena on Sunday. The Samba Boys are odds-on to top Group E, but they are up against a well-organised Swiss side who head into the finals in stellar form. Brazil © Reuters Expectations are high for five-time World Cup winners Brazil, but the South Americans head to this year's tournament with painful memories from 2014 hanging over them. At the last World Cup, the Samba Boys were humiliated by eventual winners Germany, ending up on the wrong side of a 7-1 drubbing in the semi-finals, and their record at major tournaments since has been poor. In the 2015 Copa America, they bowed out in the first knockout stage, and in the following year, Brazil failed to make it beyond the group phase. Needless to say, Tite's men have critics to answer, though they did restore some pride with an impressive qualifying campaign, becoming the first team to reach the 2018 World Cup after hosts Russia when they defeated Paraguay 3-0 in March 2017. They won 12 of their 18 qualifying games and lost only once, despite facing the likes of Argentina, Uruguay and continental champions Chile along the way. Finding the net has not been a problem for Brazil, as Tite's side scored more than three goals in 61% of their qualifiers and averaged 2.27 goals per game overall. Brazil have maintained their strong form since booking their spot in Russia, with their 3-0 demolition of Austria last week extending their unbeaten run to 11 matches, eight of which were victories. Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, who has scored 55 goals in 85 matches for his country, is expected to provide the goal threat against the Swiss, but with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Willian, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho also among Brazil's ranks, he is not the only player the opposition will need to watch. Recent form: WDWWWW Switzerland © Reuters Switzerland is by no means an easy opener for Brazil. Vladimir Petkovic's side enjoyed a solid qualifying campaign, pushing European champions Portugal all the way in Group B and only missing out on the top spot thanks to a 2-0 defeat to their rivals in the final game. That was the only match of their 10-game qualifying campaign that they failed to win, and they scored 23 times along the way while conceding only seven. There was, however, no shortage of controversy when the Swiss faced Northern Ireland in a two-legged playoff as a hugely contentious penalty from Ricardo Rodriguez proved the difference between the two sides. Since qualifying, Switzerland have won three and drawn one to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches, and they have let in just one goal during that run, in a 1-1 draw with Spain. Critics claim that the Swiss are overly reliant on Xherdan Shaqiri in the final third, though they have been well organised in other areas of the pitch under Petkovic, who has never conceded more than two goals since taking charge 35 games ago. Petkovic has taken an experienced squad, who played together at the last two international tournaments, to Russia and their cohesion could be the key to keeping out a Brazil side with a wealth of attacking options at their disposal. The Swiss are clear underdogs in their group opener and a draw would be considered a massive result for them. Recent form: WDWWDW Team News © Reuters Brazil's only key absentee in the run-up to their group opener is first-choice right-back Dani Alves, which paves the way for Manchester City's Danilo to start in that position. Jesus is likely to spearhead their attack, with Neymar and Willian operating on the flanks in a 4-3-3 formation. Coutinho, Casemiro and Paulinho will form a midfield triangle, if Brazil's most recent World Cup warm-up match is anything to go by. Switzerland, meanwhile, are without the services of attacking midfielder Admir Mehmedi, who is expected to be replaced in the starting XI by Steven Zuber. Petkovic's first XI is expected to be near-identical to his preferred side at Euro 2016, though it is unclear whether Breel Embolo or Haris Seferovic will start up front.