Brazil bounced back from their opening day defeat against hosts France to upset 2015 bronze medallists Poland at the IHF World Championships ©Getty Images

Brazil bounced back from their opening day defeat against hosts France to upset 2015 bronze medallists Poland at the International Handball Federation (IHF) World Championships.

The South Americans triumphed 28-24 at the Exponantes - Hall XXL in Nantes, getting them off the mark in Group A at the second time of asking.

Flying out of the blocks, Brazil established a 16-11 lead by half-time and never really looked like relinquishing their advantage after the restart as they controlled the pace of the game.

They were still five goals ahead with fifteen minutes remaining and opted to welcome back influential right-back Thiagus Petrus, who had missed the loss to France with a shoulder injury.

Jose Guilherme Toledo’s eight goals for Brazil earned him the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and helped inflict a second defeat on Poland in as many games following defeat to Norway in their first outing.

"Today we had Thiagus Petrus back and his presence in defence was decisive," Toledo, who plays for Polish-based team Wisła Płock, said.

"We started the game very well and when you’re ahead by five goals at half-time, it makes things easier.

"We are happy to have been able to have made some rotations.

"For me, it was a special game since I knew all the players in the Polish team and I’ve been able to advise my partners on how to defend."

Spain made it two wins out of two in Group B ©Getty Images
Spain made it two wins out of two in Group B ©Getty Images

Today’s other Group A match saw Norway overcome Russia 28-24 to join France at the top of the standings with two wins out of two.

Kristian Bjornsen top scored for the Norwegians with seven goals, while Torbjorn Bergerud was the MVP.

In Group B, there were wins for Slovenia, Spain and Macedonia with all three countries maintaining their 100 per cent starts at the Arenes de Metz.

Slovenia edged an epic all-European clash with Iceland 26-25, while Spain beat Tunisia 26-21 and Macedonia triumphed 31-22 at the expense of Angola.

Croatia took the outright lead in Group C after following up their win against Saudi Arabia yesterday by beating Hungary 31-28 at the Kindarena in Rouen.

European counterparts Denmark are the frontrunners in Group D with a maximum four points thanks to a 35-28 success over Egypt at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris.

Action in France is due to continue tomorrow with matches taking place across all four groups.