World Cup 2014: Brazil Wins

Opening Match Against Croatia

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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

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.

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.

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

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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