The World Cup is finally back after four long and grueling years, and I couldn't be any more happier to see it, despite the socio-political issues surrounding Brazil. The first game is an interesting encounter between the hosts Brazil and Croatia.
The biggest question surrounding Brazil going into their first match in the World Cup is if they will be able to handle the immense pressure that will be put on them by the media and the fans. From what I've seen at the Confederations Cup and with the warm-up friendlies, I think that Neymar and the rest of the Brazilian national team will handle the pressure quite well and use the support of the fans to will them on. With Croatia, I think the question is whether Luka Modric will be able to be the big influence for the Croatian national team. Modric has had a stellar season with Real Madrid, and the hope is that he will be able to replicate his form for his country. Along with the free-flowing Ivan Rakitic, Modric should be able to pull the strings and dictate the play with Croatia. Another question with Croatia that will be answered when the match is played is if the suspension of Mario Mandzukic will negatively affect Croatia going forward.
1st half: Croatia started out very organized in its defending. They were almost methodical in their way of trying to dispossess Brazil. On the other hand, Brazil started out the more cautious of the two teams, building from the back and feeling out the opposition. In the beginning 15 minutes of the 1st half, it was Croatia who looked more likely to score, in which they relied on their wing play to create chances. Ivica Olic was the player who started strong for Croatia, running down the flanks and causing Dani Alves some problems. It was through Croatia's wing play that gave them a goal, which was an own goal my Marcelo.
The Croatia goal came as a shock to Brazil, and it was after the goal that they started to attack with some intent. Brazil relied a bit more on attacking through the middle, but they also caused problems on the flanks with Hulk and Oscar making themselves a nuisance. In the first half, Brazil were also determined to get scrappy in midfield, which proved successful, when after a scrap for the ball, Neymar picked the ball up and drove a low shot past Croatian goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa to get the equalizer.
2nd half: Brazil kept up the pressure on the Croatian goal while Croatia resumed their organized, methodical defending which gave them some success. Brazil's bright spot in the match was Oscar, who's skill on the ball drew the Croatian defenders towards him and opened up space for the other Brazilian attackers.
The big moment in the match came in the 69th minute when Fred was apparently fouled in the box and the referee called a penalty, to the anger of the Croatian players. Watching the replay, there was minimal contact made on Fred, and it looked like Fred embellished the fall as well. Neymar dispatched the penalty, and the match became more open, as Croatia were searching for the equalizer, and Brazil were looking to put the match away. Brazil finally did put the match away as Oscar ran towards the Croatian defence and shot the ball past Pletikosa into the back of the net.
Overall: Brazil managed to start on the right foot, despite the initial scare, but they didn't look like the polished Brazil we were used to seeing. It was an entertaining encounter, and an entertaining first match of the World Cup. It was a shame to see the winning goal happen the way that it did. There were some people that proclaimed that there was a fix for Brazil to win, but I think it was just a bad call by the referee, who maybe succumbed to the fan pressure.
With that penalty call, it could be possible that we could see more games decided in this matter, and it could be possible that it could be an issue in the World Cup. Maybe there could be talks of instant replay in the future to settle calls like this, or maybe retroactive punishment on divers. It's too early to talk about it now, but it is something to keep an eye on.
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