Richarlison scored twice as Brazil launched their bid for a record sixth World Cup crown with a 2-0 victory over Serbia Thursday.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison swept in a rebound from a Vinicius Junior shot on 62 minutes before producing a spectacular volley to double Brazil's lead 11 minutes later.
The victory leaves Brazil on top of Group G, with first round games against Switzerland and Cameroon remaining.
Earlier, a determined Serbian side kept the five-time world champions at bay, heading into the first half interval with the score locked at 0-0.
Neymar led an attack-minded Brazil side in their opening game at the World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, the world's most expensive player, came into his third World Cup needing just two more goals to equal Pele's all-time record tally of 77 for the Selecao.
He is playing in the No 10 role for the tournament favorites in support of Richarlison, with Raphinha and Vinicius Junior on the wings.
Juventus duo Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic were only named as substitutes for Serbia after carrying injuries into the tournament.
However, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic recovered from his own fitness worries to lead the attack for Dragan Stojkovic's dangerous outfit, who topped their qualifying group ahead of Portugal.
Switzerland got off to a winning start in the same group earlier Thursday, beating Cameroon 1-0 thanks to a solitary goal by Breel Embolo.
Starting line-ups:
Brazil (4-2-1-3)
Alisson Becker; Danilo, Thiago Silva (capt), Marquinhos, Alex Sandro; Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro; Neymar Jr; Raphinha, Richarlison, Vinicius Junior
Coach: Tite (BRA)
Serbia (3-4-2-1)
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Nikola Milenkovic, Milos Veljkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic; Andrija Zivkovic, Sasa Lukic, Nemanja Gudelj, Filip Mladenovic; Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic (capt); Aleksandar Mitrovic
Coach: Dragan Stojkovic (SRB)
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRI)