Brazil Earns Sloppy Win in Opener

Brazilian superstar Neymar tallied two goals in his World Cup debut to lead the hosts to victory

The World Cup is under way and the opening match featured host Brazil against Croatia in a Group A matchup. Expectations were high for the host nation as many believe that they can ride their home country advantage to the top of the tournament field.


However, for moments in today's game it seemed that Brazil was not playing up to its potential. That said, Brazil walked away with a 3-1 victory, abet a sloppy one.

The hosts got two goals from Neymar, an equalizer in the 29th minute and a go ahead goal from the spot, after a questionable call, in the 71st. Oscar added the nail in the coffin in injury time of the second half.

Croatia got their goal in the 11th minute when a cross hit defender Marcelo and bounced in for an own goal. The own goal was the low point of a somewhat lackluster defensive performance all game. Croatia had plenty of chances, especially by exploiting runs down the wing, but were unable to find the back of the net.

The Brazilians seemed to be playing slow for much of the game. They started both halves with no sense of urgency and despite winning the possession battle, Croatia was making the most of their possessions and had a few decent looks on goal in the first quarter of the game.

Croatia should come out of this game feeling good about themselves. They played a very solid game against a strong Brazilian squad and played well enough that the game was closer than the score shows. The big connection was Ivica Olic working the sideline playing the ball into the box towards Nikica Jelavic and Ivan Perisic. If Croatia can continue to work the ball up the sidelines they have a good chance of advancing to the next stage.

As for the Brazilians, there are some things to work on, especially at the back end with some lapses defensively, including the own goal early in the game. Additionally, expect Luiz Felipe Scolari to work on getting Hulk and Fred more involved in the game plan. But there are positives to take away as well. Neymar was his typical flashy self and Oscar turned in a very impressive performance. David Luiz and Thiago Silva also held down the fort at center back.

The next Group A match will be Friday at noon as Mexico takes on Cameroon.