Intro:

Croatia manager Niko Kovac said on Wednesday it was "an honour" to play Brazil in the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and added his squad would "give everything" to reach the knockout stages.

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (Croatian) Niko Kovac, Croatia manager
(Q: What are your hopes for the tournament and how difficult will it be to make it to the knock-out stage?)

"Sure it will be difficult to pass from the group stage, I think everybody expects Brazil to go through to the second round but Mexico, Cameroon and Croatia will fight for the second place. I can't promise anything, neither can anyone in the tournament, but we will give everything from ourselves, our maximum to reach that goal and go to the second round."