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WC MOTD: Brazil 3-1 Croatia

By on June 13, 2014

The 2014 World Cup got off to an explosive start with hosts Brazil coming from behind to beat Croatia 3-1 in a hotly contested fixture.

With an expectant crowd inside the stadium and the whole country braced for action, the Samba boys began the evening with a passionate performance of the Brazilian national anthem. It was supposed to set the tone for the game, but they were caught cold just ten minutes in when Real Madrid left back Marcelo put the ball into the back of his own net following a cross from Ivica Olic.

Hull City striker Nikica Jelavic mishit the ball as it came to him and the Brazil man was unable to prevent it deflecting in off of him. Olic would have been relieved and happy with the part he played in the goal, having earlier wasted a chance to make it 1-0 with a header.

Suddenly the noise level at the Arena Corinthians in São Paolo dropped and Croatia began to grow in confidence with Real Madrid man Luka Modrić controlling the play alongside Ivan Rakitic.

But poster boy Neymar was not about to let Croatia spoil the Brazilian party and equalised with just under half an hour on the clock. He was lucky to still be on the pitch after catching Modrić with a swinging arm moments earlier, but that didn’t matter to him, nor did it matter to the millions in yellow up and down Brazil.

Chelsea star Oscar battled his way past two challenges, before finding Neymar. The striker also skipped past a challenge before hitting scuffing a shot from about 25 yards.

It wasn’t his best shot ever by a long way, but the accuracy was there and the ball went in off the post, with some suggesting that goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa should have done better. Instantly, the confidence levels inside the stadium and around Brazil grew, with fireworks audible nationwide.

But Croatia remained solid and Southampton defender Dejan Lovren provided a calmness in defence as the pressure mounted. Sure enough, Brazil began to get frustrated and were unable to get their usual irresistible rhythm going, and Niko Kovac’s men went into the break level with Brazil.

In the second half Brazil started strongly but their best effort came from a 30-yard free kick, which Dani Alves blasted over the bar, as Lovren and co remained solid.

But with 20 minutes left Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura awarded a dubious penalty after Fred went down under pressure from Lovren – Replays showed that there was minimal contact and that Fred seemed to simply dive.

The Croatians angrily surrounded the official but he was unmoved and produced a yellow card for Lovren.

It was a controversial decision, but one that gave Neymar the chance to double his tally and give Brazil the lead. A battle of wits ensued with Pletikosa moving around on his line and Neymar pulling out every trick in the book to try and get the Croatian goalkeeper to commit himself early.

And while the goalkeeper stood firm and got a hand to Neymar’s effort, he flapped at the ball and it managed to find its way into the back of the net nevertheless.

A mixture of jubilation and relief met the goal but Croatia, spurned on by a sense of injustice, were not finished yet and peppered the Brazilian goal with several powerful shots, with Julio Cesar looking suspect in between the sticks.

And another controversial moment came when Croatia had a goal disallowed after an innocuous looking challenge on Cesar.

However, with the visitors pushing forward, man of the match Oscar rounded off on the break the win to send Brazil into raptures. The Chelsea midfielder. received the ball and drove at the heart of the Croatian defense, before finishing with a toe-poke from 20 yards. Pletikosa should have done much better but Oscar couldn’t have cared less. It was a goal he deserved and left manager Luiz Felipe Scolari toasting a tenth successive win as Brazil boss as his side got their campaign off to a winning start.

More protests greeted the end of the game, yet this is a positive moment for Brazilians.

After such a controversial build up, and such a controversial game, the hosts came out of the game with a convincing win and three points. It is a good start and you have to feel that Brazil can only get better as the tournament progresses.

They were not at their best but found a way to win and they know that six more victories will give them the glory at the end of the tournament.

About Darren Ash

Darren Ash Raised in South East London, the 18-year-old Media student is passionate about all things football. A season ticket holder at local team Millwall, he loves nothing more than the highs and lows of the beautiful game. Having followed the sport for as early as he can remember, Darren's goal is to become a professional football journalist. Follow him on Twitter @AshDarren