Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has insisted that he never had any doubts about including Oscar in his starting lineup ahead of his team's match against Croatia.

Oscar endured a disappointing end to the Premier League campaign with Chelsea, but after the midfielder played a starring role in Brazil's 3-1 win over Croatia on Thursday evening, Scolari was quick to praise the efforts of the 22-year-old.

Scolari is quoted by BT Sport as saying: "Our statistics after the game show that he was the one who made the most tackles, and made lots of dribbles and crosses - he was our most creative player on the night.

"He was fantastic and that's the kind of player he is and I have always believed in him. Any doubts came from [the media]. His level may have dropped but I never lost belief in him."

Brazil will face Mexico in their second game in Group A on Tuesday.