World Cup: Brazil Defeats North Korea 2-1

Updated at 4:45 p.m. ET

Maicon and Elano scored a goal apiece in the second half and Brazil broke through a solid North Korea defense to win its first 2010 World Cup match 2-1 on a frigid Tuesday night.

Brazil escaped with a hard-fought victory in the Group G match after struggling to get past the defensive setup of the North Koreans, who are making their first World Cup appearance in 44 years and arrived as the tournament's lowest-ranked team.

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Earlier, Didier Drogba, the African Player of the Year, helped the Ivory Coast earn a 0-0 draw against Portugal despite a broken right arm.

Drogba, who broke his arm during a friendly 11 days ago, came on as a substitute in the 66th minute but had little impact on the Group G game.

Previously, Winston Reid headed in an equalizing goal in injury time to give New Zealand a 1-1 draw with Slovakia in Group F.

Five-time champion Brazil was playing North Korea later Tuesday at Ellis Park.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post early in Port Elizabeth, but Ivory Coast otherwise created the chances in the rainy match.

"We created some more chances than they did," Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. "If you think about discipline and organization, I think we were organized for all 90 minutes."

Drogba played with a special protective cast, approved by FIFA, on his arm. But still he was on the bench at the start.

"I spoke to him after training yesterday evening and he said he preferred to be on the bench," Eriksson said. "He said 'Boss, if you need me, I am there.' I hoped we would not need him but we wanted to win the game so we did what we did.

"We did not put any pressure on him."

Reid scored from a cross by Shane Smeltz, giving New Zealand its first point at a World Cup after losing all its games in its debut in 1982.

"It probably was the most important goal of my life," Reid said. "I didn't see the ball until late. I knew that if I got it on target and didn't hit it too hard, I could just guide it in."

Robert Vittek had given Slovakia the lead in the 50th minute, heading in a cross from Stanislav Sestak after Reid let him move free.

Outside the World Cup stadiums, a strike over pay by the security stewards spread to half the tournament's 10 venues, forcing police to step in and assume their duties.

Several hundred guards walked off the job at Soccer City, the main World Cup stadium in Johannesburg. There was no match there Tuesday.

Police said they also have taken over security at stadiums in Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

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