1. World Cup 2014: Brazil Wins
Opening Match Against Croatia
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/world-cup-2014-brazil-wins-opening-match-
against-croatia
Brazil — Thursday was Dia dos Namorados, the Brazilian equivalent of
Valentine’s Day, which meant there were chocolates and flowers and
couples holding hands tucked among the sea of yellow jerseys that
stretched from the Itaquera neighborhood over to Jardins. From
sunrise all the way until the shimmering moon peeked above the
skyline, Brazilians showed their passion for one another, and for
soccer, as the World Cup began.
But love — in any form — is a complicated matter. While there were
moments of heat and adoration, particularly when Neymar scored the
first of his two goals with a shot that bounced in off the post,
Brazil’s 3-1 victory over Croatia hardly made for the perfect date.
Inside and outside Arena Corinthians, emotions were mixed even before

2. a referee’s decision in favor of Brazil plunged the tournament into
controversy in the first game.
That controversy figures to linger, too. Fuming after the game, Niko
Kovac, Croatia’s coach, all but accused the referee, Yuichi
Nishimura of Japan, of favoring the home team when he awarded a
penalty kick to Brazil that led to the decisive goal.
Kovac was livid because replays showed that Fred, a Brazilian
forward, fell theatrically to the ground, with little contact from a
Croatian defender. With all the attention that has been paid to how
Brazil’s performance in the tournament will reverberate throughout
the country, Kovac indicated that he felt referees might be
influenced.
“It has to do with playing here in Brazil,” Kovac said. “I think
Brazil does not need any help from referees.”
He added that the decision was “ridiculous” and said, “If we
continue in this vein, there will be 100 penalties in this World
Cup.”
His comments were, in many ways, a fitting end to a strange day that
began with the police using tear gas and rubber bullets on protesters
near a downtown subway station, casting a pall that will almost
certainly linger as demonstrations over the Cup continue over the
next month.

3. At the stadium, workers hurried to finish construction as recently as
Wednesday, and there were several hiccups during the opener, with
chairs appearing to be missing in a few areas (fans sat on concrete)
and a bank of floodlights temporarily going out during the first
half. Even the pregame release of three doves, designed to be a
gesture of peace, did not come off perfectly: One of the birds
appeared to immediately crash into the stands.
All of that, though, may inspire less immediate angst than the home
team’s inconsistent performance. Soccer is sacred here, and it is
not so much pressure that fans put on the Brazilian players as it is
an ultimatum: Win or be ridiculed.
Luiz Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian coach, has not shied from the
expectations of a title, but he has also said that he will not be
bothered by the typical Brazilian requirement of winning with style.
Although grinding performances are anathema for Brazilian fans,
Scolari, knowing the stakes, has said he is only interested in
results. From that perspective, he was pleased with Thursday’s
outcome.
Brazil actually fell behind early when Marcelo turned the ball into
his own net in the 11th minute, after Ivica Olic had sprinted down
the left side and sent a dangerous cross in front of the goal.

4. Neymar had two goals for Brazil, the second on the 71st-minute
penalty kick. CreditDamir Sagolj/Reuters
Marcelo, who was retreating, basically ran the ball into his own net.
Most in the announced crowd of 62,103 stood in stunned silence and
then began booing and whistling angrily, having witnessed Brazil’s
first own goal in World Cup history.
“World Cups are different,” Scolari said. “Obviously, when it is a
home game and the first goal is scored against us, I think the impact
is much more difficult.”
The score produced nightmarish visions of an embarrassing loss, but
Neymar, the silky attacker who is the darling of the Brazilian fans,
rescued the mood with a brilliant goal 18 minutes later. Neymar, 22,
who is playing in his first World Cup, dribbled to the top of the
penalty area and rolled a shot in off the post that sent the
Brazilian bench into hysterics as fireworks exploded outside the
stadium.
“I am really very happy,” Neymar said. “I think even happier than
I dreamed I could be.”
Despite the overwhelming reaction from the Brazilian fans — and the
absence of its top scorer, Mario Mandzukic, who was suspended after
getting a red card late in qualifying — Croatia did not buckle.
Instead, the Blazers steadied their midfield early in the second half
and looked to be comfortable playing for a tie as they bottled up the
Brazilians’ attempts to penetrate. One point, for a draw, would have

5. been an excellent result for Croatia, so it was no surprise that its
players — and its coach, and its trainers, and pretty much everyone
on its bench — erupted when Fred tumbled and Nishimura pointed to
the spot. With the specter of recent match-fixing revelations already
lingering over the games here, the decision quickly became a powder
keg. “Whenever you play somewhere, the hosts may have an
advantage,” Kovic said. “However, we are playing football. The
rules of the game apply to both teams. FIFA’s slogan is respect —
respect for both teams. If we continue in this way, we will have a
circus.” Once the Croatians’ on-field protests subsided, Neymar
converted the penalty kick in the 71st minute. Oscar scored a third
goal, in second-half stoppage time, to make the final score look far
more flattering for the Brazilians than their inconsistent attack
deserved.
For Scolari, though, there was nothing to worry over. The penalty, in
his opinion, was deserved, and the stretches of malaise his team
showed mattered little to the ultimate result. In a tournament in
which winning is the priority, he left with a victory. All that
matters, he said, is that “our players were excellent in changing
the score.” Or, put another way, beauty — in love and in soccer —
is in the eye of the beholder.
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