BRAZIL PREVAIL IN WORLD CUP OPENER

D. Ray Morton, 13th June 2014.

Neymar got his brace against Croatia but Brazil were far from impressive in general

The 2014 incarnation of the FIFA World Cup kicked off yesterday after the bells, whistles and general nonsense of the opening ceremony ended. When the football actually got under way, hosts Brazil managed to dispatch enthusiastic underdogs Croatia with a 3-1 victory having gone a goal behind early on.

Brazil were gifted a victory over a hardly undeserving Croatian side who will feel aggrieved at some highly questionable refereeing decisions. It only took Croatia eleven minutes to take the lead. Brazil started nervously, as evidenced by some of the facial expressions in the tunnel before kick-off. They had been inefficient in their possession and Ivica Olic broke down the left for the visitors and managed to centre towards Nikica Jelavic. Jelavic made a weak connection with the cross but it was enough to guide it onto the toes of the on-rushing Marcelo who was left with the misfortune of scoring an own goal.

Brazil's equaliser came in the 29th minute, against the run of play perhaps, when Neymar managed to beat Stipe Pletikosa from distance with a scuffed left foot effort. Pletikosa's positioning throughout the night had been poor and, refereeing decisions aside, his dismal performance might have been enough alone to lose it for the Croatians.

The true turning point of the match did not come until twenty minutes before the end. Fred, having miscontrolled a ball in the opposition's penalty area, backed into Dejan Lovren and hit the deck as if he had been shot. Lovren's ever-so-slightly raised hands were enough for the Japanese referee to point to the spot. A simply ludicrous decision which spoiled an intriguing football match until that point. Croatia had played a neat short passing game, the now shaven-headed Luka Modric impressing with his all-round orchestration of the game, but now they found themselves 2-1 behind thanks to Neymar's penalty.

With the wind taken out of Croatia's sails, Oscar managed to extend the lead in injury time and there was even a question of a foul in the lead up to that one too. 3-1 to Brazil and a brace for Neymar. That would almost seem predictable to someone who just glanced at the scoreline but the match as a whole told a very different story. Modric had been the best player on the pitch, not Neymar. Brazil's superstar had a decent game, troubling defenders with his agility but offered very little threat. He was made to look good by Pletikosa's shortcomings. Even the penalty had uncertainty smeared all over it. Neymar took the most ridiculous of run-ups and managed to squeeze it past the keeper despite getting a full hand on the ball.

This was not a great showcase for the game as a World Cup opener. The casual fan might have enjoyed Brazil's comeback victory but there was nothing too heroic about it thanks to some shady officiating. Let us hope that this does not become a theme for the tournament where certain teams get preferential treatment. Usually teams that FIFA have an interest in. We do not want another 2002 World Cup farce.