"1st step taken" - Gabriel Martinelli comments after making FIFA World Cup debut with Brazil

Arsenal and Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli has sent out a message after his country's 2022 FIFA World Cup opener.

Le Selecao took on Serbia in their first Group G fixture in Qatar on Thursday (November 24). The No. 1 ranked team in the world were initially warded off well by the Serbian defense.

However, Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison ensured that Tite's men collected all three points. He opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, tapping home after Vinicius Jr.'s shot was saved. The duo linked up again, with Richarlison netting with an acrobatic bicycle kick 11 minutes later to seal the result.

Martinelli notably came off the bench in the 87th minute for Raphinha to make his FIFA World Cup debut, with the result well and truly in the bag. Taking to Twitter after the game, the youngster wrote (translated):

"Unforgettable moment, 1st step taken! Come on Brazil 🇧🇷❤"

Momento inesquecível, 1° passo dado! Vamos Brasil 🇧🇷❤️ https://t.co/XQEnkkDbuS

With a chunk of injury-time being added to the mix, Martinelli got nearly 11 minutes on the pitch against Serbia. However, he had just five touches in what was only his fourth appearance for Le Selecao, who preferred to pass the ball around in midfield to see out the win.

The Arsenal forward will hope to make more of an impact as the tournament goes on. He entered the World Cup after a superb run of form for the Gunners in the 2022-23 season, scoring five goals and laying out two assists in 14 Premier League matches.

Brazil take on Switzerland in their next match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Having finished the job against Serbia, Brazil will now turn their focus to their second game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They will take on Switzerland on Monday, November 28.

The Swiss will also enter that clash on the back of a win. Breel Embolo scored the only goal of the game in the 48th minute as they beat Cameroon just hours before Le Selecao took on Serbia.

📸 About today's win

🇨🇭1:0 🇨🇲
⚽ Breel Embolo

#natimiteuch #lanatiavecvous #lanaticonvoi https://t.co/cAuoqW1qoC

The South American giants and Switzerland last met in the group stages of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who didn't make Brazil's squad for the ongoing World Cup, opened the scoring in the 20th minute of that game. However, Steven Zuber equalized for the European side just five minutes after half-time.