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Maicon produced a moment of pure Brazilian magic to set the five-time champions on their way to victory in their opening game against North Korea in Johannesburg.
The Brazilians, ranked number one in the Fifa rankings, were expected to cruise past the team in 105th place in their Group G encounter.
But on a difficult evening they had to wait until the 55th minute to break the deadlock as the North Koreans proved more than capable opponents.
It fell to right-back Maicon to settle Brazil's nerves with a goal of typical beauty.
Latching on to a pass down the right from Elano but at a seemingly impossible angle trapped against the byeline, he produced a swerving screamer that bent in with goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk standing a fraction too far off his post.
The goal composed Dunga's previously erratic side and they doubled the lead with 18 minutes left when Robinho slid a fabulous pass in for Elano to slot home from inside the area.
But North Korea gave them a much harder game than they were expecting and Kim Jong-Hun's side got a goal their endeavour deserved when Ji Yun-nam fired in superbly in the closing stages.
Brazil deserved the victory for their dominance in possession, especially in the second half, but North Korea's previously unknown players can hold their heads high after a display full of passion and no little skill either.
In fact, playing their in their first World Cup since 1966, the Chollima - before they tired after the break - threatened to cause an almighty upset.
With star striker Jong Tae-se - who cried during their national anthem - leading the line magnificently, they were giving Brazil as good as they got in a first half that swung from end to end in hugely entertaining fashion.
Indeed as Elano, Robinho and Michel Bastos all sprayed long-range shots wide from outside the box, it was the little-fancied North Koreans who began to test the Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar as they proved that had not come to the World Cup simply to defend.
Jong was causing the usually unflappable Lucio all kinds of problems with his movement and pace and he turned sharply before firing straight at the Brazilian keeper, before Ri Kwang-chon dragged wide from a good position on the edge of the Brazil box after they had failed to clear a corner.
The Brazilians were lethargic, with their best moments coming down the flanks as Maicon on the right and Michel Bastos - who had a 20-yard sizzler deflected over - got forward time and time again to support their struggling team-mates.


As the game wore on there was a sense that a major upset could be in the offing, but Maicon's devilish drifter put paid to that and soon Brazil were controlling the game in the manner with which their World Cup opponents have become accustomed.
Striker Luis Fabiano, without a goal in his last six internationals, was desperate to get on the scoresheet, but he could only turn and blaze over, before Robinho wonderfully found Elano to make the game safe.
Brazil still had a scare when Ji Yun-nam's brilliant first touch controlled a high ball and took him into space in the Brazil box and he made no mistake with an unerring finish past Julio Cesar.
There was no time for them to conjure the most unlikely of all equalisers, but their heroic display finally brought the World Cup to life and warmed the hearts of the crowd on a freezing night at Ellis Park.

The Tanzanian Football Federation are facing a big financial loss after a poor turnout to see Brazil beat Tanzania 5-1 in a friendly on Monday.
Fans were put off by record entrance fees ranging from 25-180 US dollars to see the world's best team.
The Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) hoped to raise about US$3m and cushion an estimated US$2.5m used to secure a friendly against the Brazilians.
But the 60,000-seater stadium was only half-full for the evening game.
The match fee paid to Brazil triggered a debate in Tanzania with some people questioning the rationale behind a poor country spending massively on a single match.
This forced the government to come clean on the matter, saying it had contributed nothing to the costs.
"Inviting Brazil was the TFF's responsibility," the minister of sports George Mkuchika said.
"They have taken a bank loan, which they will repay through gate collections, so the government should not be accused of anything."

Ramirez scored two of Brazil's goals
Away from the costs, the game was excitement-filled, especially after the host team managed to grab a goal against the five-time world champions in the 5-1 loss.
The stadium erupted with joy after Jabir Aziz's goal in the dying minutes of the game, while Brazil coach Carlos Dunga praised his hosts for 'a good test'.
Robinho and Ramirez scored two goals each and Kaka was also on target as Brazil wrapped up their preparation before starting their World Cup Group G campaign against North Korea on 15 June.
"It was a good test for Brazil because Tanzania is a good team, very well organised," Dunga said afterward.
"The idea was to play teams with high speed, physically strong, so it was good for us to play Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
"My target is the same as all Brazilian people, to win the World Cup."
Dunga used his full-strength squad and all his players came through the match unscathed.

Brazil will play friendly matches in both Zimbabwe and Tanzania in the build-up to the World Cup.
The world's top ranked side will be in Harare on 2 June and in Dar es Salaam on 7 June as part of their preparations for South Africa 2010.
The deals for both games have been signed and were announced at separate news conferences on Thursday.
"You are talking about the best team in the world," the President of the Tanzanian Football Federation said.
"It is a very good promotion for our country," Leodegar Tenga said.
"This is one of the steps we are supposed to take to develop the game, it will promote the game, bring excitement and encourage our boys - the impact of this to our football will be huge."
Both countries have agreed to pay an appearance fee to Brazil - but the sum has not been disclosed.
The man who negotiated the Zimbabwe game for Brazil, Paul Leisegang of sports agency Kantaro, said it was a deal worth doing.
"It's a figure that Zimbabwe are happy with," he said.
"In my heart I believe that the ordinary people of Zimbabwe deserve to have a taste of the World Cup, and I believe that Zimbabwe will never be the same again.
"For Zimbabwe it was an impossible dream, but they were so persistent and they have proved that nothing is impossible."
Brazil will become the first international side from outside Africa to play in Zimbabwe since the country's independence in 1980.

Milan attacker Ronaldinho has been in stunning form in the past couple of weeks, but Brazil coach Dunga wasn't impressed with the former Barcelona star's performances and left him out of the Brazil squad for Tuesday's friendly with Ireland.

Dunga's decision to snub Ronaldinho didn't go down too well in some regions, but the Brazil coach has made it clear that the controversy isn't really affecting him or his plans for the World Cup.

"I guess it's normal for Ronaldinho's omission to cause controversy, because the players who are absent are always the best. Everyone wants to talk about who is not part of the national team," Dunga was quoted as saying on the official FIFA website.

"None of this is new on the eve of a World Cup. The questions and answers continue to be the same. The pressure on the coach of the Selecao is always very strong. Every region and newspaper would like to impose their own players, but I will go forward in my own way."