Brazil have begun the defence of their Futsal World Cup crown in convincing fashion, thumping Japan 4-1 on the opening day of the tournament in Thailand.
Group C rivals Portugal were also emphatic in a 5-1 drubbing of Libya, Ukraine and Paraguay played out a lively 3-3 draw in Group A, while the host nation recovered from a mixed build-up to beat Costa Rica 3-1.
2008 runners-up Spain play their first match on Friday evening local time while Oceania champs the Solomon Islands open their tournament against Russia on Saturday night.
Meanwhile Tahiti have signed off with a 4-3 win over the USA in their final match at the beach soccer Intercontinental Cup in Dubai.
The French Polynesian side missed out on the semi finals, however, after losing earlier group matches against the UAE and defending champions Russia.
