Brazil made a terrible start to their Copa America campaign as they were held

to a goalless draw by minnows Venezuela in La Plata.

The defending champions looked devoid of ideas and Venezuela had chances to

secure a shock win with Brazil looking anything but solid at the back.

Mano Menezes' side had opened confidently and dominated possession, with Paulo

Henrique Ganso to the fore, but they struggled to break down a packed Venezuelan

defence.

Andre Santos was another to look lively but the best chance of the opening half

fell to AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato, who hit the crossbar after being set up

by Daniel Alves.

Brazil had appeals for a penalty turned down when a Robinho shot was deflected

away for a corner by Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, with the referee deciding the ball had

not struck the defender's arm.

Menezes sent Fred, Elano and Lucas on after the break in an effort to inject

some life into a stale performance but they remained unable to create genuine

clear-cut chances.

And during the final quarter they found themselves under pressure as Venezuela

counter-attacked sharply as their more illustrious opponents desperately pushed

for a winner.

Juan Fernando Arango failed to capitalise after being set up on the edge of the

Brazil box while Tomas Rincon was also off target.

Neymar attempted to carve out a late winner for Brazil but Venezuela held out

for one of their most famous results.