In the World Cup Football on Tuesday, Brazil recorded a hard fought 2-1 victory over North Korea in their opening Group G match in Johannesburg. The five-time champions struggled to get past the defensive set up of the North Koreans till half-time. Maicon scored the first goal for Brazil in the 55th minute, making a run on the right side and shooting into the far corner from a tight angle. Elano then added to the lead in the 72nd minute after a well-timed pass from Robinho. Ji Yum Nam pulled one back for North Korea in the 89th minute. North Korea are making their first World Cup appearance in 44 years and arrived as the tournament's lowest-ranked team. They are hoping to repeat their heroic campaign from the 1966 tournament in England, when they produced a surprising win over Italy to reach the quarterfinals.The victory gives Brazil first place in the group with three points. Earlier in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, Portugal began their World Cup campaign with a goalless draw against a spirited Ivory Coast in Group G. Semi-finalists at the 2006 Finals, Portugal struggled to make a serious impact, with Ivory Coast enjoying most of the possession. In the Group F encounter in Rustenburg, Slovakia and New Zealand played a 1-1 draw. Robert Vittek's header gave the lead for Slovakia in the 50th minute. But New Zealand stunned their rivals with the equaliser through Winston Reid in the last minute of added time. Slovakia are appearing at the tournament for the first time as an independent country. The draw enabled both teams pick up their first ever point. New Zealand in their only previous appearance in the Finals in Spain in 1982 had lost all their three matches.